Ten Health and Safety Experience Expected from GCC Factories Candidates and GMR 2.1 Appointees

Health and safety experience is one of the determining factors when applying to be a GCC Factories Candidate and trying to secure a job as a GMR 2.1 appointee.

Therefore, it is important for GCC Factories and GMR 2.1 aspirants to prioritise the right type of health and safety experience during their early years of working.

This post will summarize the ten main health and safety experience types expected from GCC Factories applicants and GMR 2.1 job seekers.

What health and safety experience should I have in my GCC Factories Candidate application and as an aspirant GMR 2.1 appointee?

Your qualification and experience are the two main considerations that may determine whether the Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL) approves or declines your GCC Factories application.

We have already covered the qualification requirement in detail, and the long and short of it is that there are three main routes:

• Route 1: Bachelor's in Mechanical or Electrical engineering

• Route 2: National Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical engineering, including BTech, BEngTech, and Advanced Diploma

• Route 3: National N Diploma in Mechanical or Electrical engineering

The tricky requirement, which may be somewhat subjective during the evaluation, is the experience.

For Route 1 and 2 applicants, you will need at least two years post-qualification experience in the maintenance and operation of mechanical or electrical machinery, to the satisfaction of the commission of examiners.

For Route 3, you will need post-apprenticeship experience in the maintenance and operation of mechanical or electrical machinery as per the Annexure I schedule. Click here to view the Annexure I schedule.

What does experience in the maintenance and operation of mechanical or electrical machinery mean?

In the context of health and safety experience, you must demonstrate that your experience aligns with what you would ordinarily do as a GMR 2.1 appointee. This means carrying out the following activities:

• Legal and regulatory compliance

• Hazard identification and risk assessments

• Incident and accident investigation

• Maintenance safety practices

• Health surveillance analysis

• Safety training and culture

• Safety systems and reporting

• Emergency preparedness

• Contractor and project safety

• Environmental, health, and safety integration

The link between GCC Factories and the GMR 2.1 experience

The above experience list will also apply to GMR 2.1 job seekers. You must draft your curriculum vitae (CV) to demonstrate the measurable outputs you have achieved in your career related to health and safety.

Click here to learn what the GMR 2.1 appointment is.

For GCC Factories applicants, you must demonstrate the above experience in the letter of experience you submit with your application. You can present the information in a way that is similar to how you would show it in your CV, with measurable outcomes.

Click here to learn what the GCC Factories is all about.

Now, let's explore the examples for each health and safety experience type.

1. Legal and regulatory compliance

The role of the GMR 2.1 is to ensure that the employer complies with the:

• Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)

• Regulations (OHSA Section 43)

• Health and safety standards (OHSA Section 44)

When it comes to the GMR 2.1 appointment, there is an implied delegation of authority from the Chief Executive Officer (i.e., OHS Section 16(1) appointment). This means that the GMR 2.1 assumes the role of the employer. So, the GMR 2.1 will ordinarily fulfill the employer's responsibility as stipulated in the OHSA, regulations, and standards.

When submitting your GCC Factories application with the Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL), make sure you emphasise the following:

• Your role in applying the OHSA and industry-specific regulations (e.g., Pressure Equipment Regulations, Driven Machinery Regulations, Hazardous Chemical Agents Regulations). For example, "I was responsible for planning and coordinating the DMR 18 inspection, load testing, and certification of lifting equipment."

• Your role in ensuring compliance with ISO 45001 occupational health and safety management systems. For example, "I was responsible for developing and updating processes and procedures to ensure the execution of the ISO 45001 safety management system."

• Mention your participation in Department of Labour inspections or internal SHEQ audits. For example, "I was responsible for developing the internal audit tool for the pressure equipment on site and evaluating compliance with the pressure equipment regulation."

From a GMR 2.1 perspective, you can represent the above into measurable outcomes to demonstrate the depth of your experience in the following manner:

• "I planned and executed the DMR 18 inspection, load testing, and certification for 13 gantry cranes within budget, quality, and time."

• "Reduced audit non-conformities from 15% within 12 months by standardizing twenty safety procedures and closing seven audit gaps."

• "Conducted over 25 internal SHEQ audits across manufacturing and utility facilities (up to 300 employees), reducing repeat non-conformances by 40% within 12 months and contributing to successful ISO 45001 certification."

2. Hazard identification and risk assessments

OHSA Section 8 stipulates the general duties of the employer to their employees. One of the Section 8 duties is that the employer needs to identify hazards and reduce risks associated with the workplace. This is one of the implied delegated duties to the GMR 2.1 appointee, and the GCC Factories applicant must demonstrate their role in hazard identification and risk assessments.

In particular, you will need to demonstrate how you contributed to:

• Leading or participating in baseline, issue-based, and continuous risk assessments.

• Identifying hazards related to machinery (conveyors, boilers, turbines, pumps, etc.), hazardous substances (acids, solvents), and processes (high-pressure systems, confined spaces).

• Implementing and reviewing Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Permit to Work systems.

For the GCC Factories applicant, you will focus on stating that you were involved in one or more of the above activities. That should be enough.

For the GMR 2.1 job seeker, you would want to be a little more specific. For instance, you can mention the following in your CV:

• "Conducted multidisciplinary risk assessments for high-risk equipment (e.g., boilers, transformers, chemical tanks), implementing 15+ critical control measures and a 25% reduction in unplanned safety incidents."

• "Identified and documented over 150 equipment- and process-related hazards (e.g., conveyors, boilers, high-pressure steam systems, confined spaces), implementing 30+ engineering and administrative controls, and achieving a 40% reduction in high-risk task exposure."

3. Incident and accident investigation

Another OHSA Section 8 requirement is that employers must investigate incidents and accidents. This matter is also included in General Administrative Regulation (GAR) 9 and the other Section 43 regulations, as they may apply to your employer.

Reporting is part of the incident and accident investigation. OHSA Sections 24 and 25 cover this matter in detail, and GAR 8 covers its administration.

In drafting your GCC Factories application, it is essential to refer to incident and accident investigation and reporting. Where possible, mention the experience according to how I have referenced the relevant sections and regulations. As an example, you could say the following:

• "I assisted in investigating the Section 24 safety incidents and near misses, using tools like the 5 Whys, Root Cause Analysis, or Fishbone Diagrams."

• "I compiled the Section 24 safety incident reports and provided input into completing the WCL 2 form submitted to the DoEL.

• "I was responsible for implementing corrective and preventive actions specified in the safety incident reports."

The measurable outcomes you could include in your GMR 2.1 CV may include the following:

• "I participated in the investigation and root cause analysis of over 50 incidents and near-misses, using tools such as 5 Whys and Fishbone Diagrams, resulting in a 60% reduction in repeat incidents within 12 months."

• "I implemented corrective actions for 100% of reportable incidents within the required 30-day timeframe, with a closure rate of 95% verified during internal SHEQ audits."

4. Maintenance safety practices

Linked to ensuring the execution of the OHSA Sections 8, 43, and 44, is implementing maintenance safety best practices. This may include the following:

• Ensuring lockout-tagout (LOTO) procedures during equipment isolation.

• Monitoring and managing pressure vessels, steam systems, and lifting equipment for statutory compliance.

• Safe planning and execution of plant shutdowns and turnarounds, including coordination with multidisciplinary teams.

A competent GMR 2.1 may represent the above as measurable outcomes in the following manner:

• "I standardized LOTO checklists and conducted refresher training for 80+ personnel, increasing procedural adherence from 78% to 98% based on random LOTO audits."

• "I coordinated third-party inspections and internal assessments, leading to a 25% reduction in overdue equipment certifications within 6 months, ensuring readiness for Department of Employment and Labour audits, and reducing the risk level from high to low."

• "I led shutdown safety coordination with cross-functional teams (operations, maintenance, contractors), implementing over 100 pre-task risk assessments, which contributed to a 40% drop in safety deviations compared to the previous shutdown."

5. Health Surveillance

Matters relating to health surveillance are covered in OHSA a general requirement and the specifics on where, when, and to whom health surveillance should be done is covered in the specific Section 43 regulations. For example, there is specific mention of health surveillance in the ergonomics, lead, noise, asbestos, hazardous chemical agents, and biological agents regulations.

Your role as GCC Factories applicant and GMR 2.1 is to use the results from the health surveillance to identify hazards and reduce risks. This means doing the following:

• Coordinating or reviewing outcomes from occupational health medicals, e.g., audiometry, spirometry, and hazardous chemical agents exposure monitoring.

• Participating in ergonomics assessments, especially in repetitive manual handling or operator-intensive tasks.

• Engaging in fatigue management and night work risk mitigation.

The measurable outcomes of this activity will relate to how you identified the hazards and the degree to which you reduced the impact of the exposure. For example:

• "I reviewed audiometry and spirometry results, triggering targeted noise and respiratory exposure interventions that contributed to a 35% drop in repeat medical anomalies over 18 months."

• "I participated in ergonomics assessments across six high-risk areas (packing, welding, and inspection stations), resulting in workstation redesigns that reduced MSD-related injury reports by 40% within one year."

• "I assisted in developing and implementing a night work risk mitigation plan, including health assessments and adjusted shift rotations, leading to a 20% reduction in night-shift safety incidents."

6. Safety training and culture

One of the challenges for GMR 2.1 appointees is having colleagues who appreciate the importance of safety and comply with the safety provisions. This is largely affected by the general culture of the organisation, which can be influenced by the leadership and the interventions in place to improve the culture.

Driving safety training and culture go a long way toward ensuring that the employer meets its OHSA Section 37 (Acts or omissions by employees or mandataries) obligations.

In your GCC Factories application, you will want to mention your involvement in safety training and culture-related interventions. For example, you could say the following:

• Delivering or organizing toolbox talks, inductions, and refresher training on safety procedures and emergency response.

• Promoting a safety-first culture within engineering and maintenance teams by including safety talks at the start of meetings and introducing Planned Task Observations (PTO).

• Coaching artisans, operators, and contractors on Safe Work Instructions (SWIs) compliance.

The measurable output relating to the above may include the following:

• "I coordinated the implementation of over 120 toolbox talks, safety inductions, and refresher training sessions for maintenance, production, and contractor teams, achieving 100% training compliance for all high-risk areas."

• "I rolled out Planned Task Observations (PTOs) across four departments, completing over 250 observations in one year and identifying trends that led to 5 critical procedural improvements."

• "Coached over 80 artisans, operators, and contractors on correct application of Safe Work Instructions (SWIs) during routine and shutdown tasks, resulting in a 90% compliance score during safety inspections."

7. Safety systems and reporting

What good is having all the data if you can't analyse it to identify corrective actions or suggest improvements?

This is where having systems and utilising tools such as Microsoft Excel, Power BI, SharePoint, and the like becomes vital. You can demonstrate your experience in this regard by including your role in:

• Using Computerised Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) or SHEQ platforms to log safety inspections, track non-conformances, and maintain audit readiness.

• Supporting safety KPI tracking, including Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR), and audit closure rates.

• Participating in Management of Change (MOC) reviews for new equipment or process changes.

The associated measurable outcomes may be as follows:

• "I facilitated the logging and tracking of over 300 safety inspections and 120 non-conformances using CMMS/SHEQ systems (e.g., SAP, Pragma, IsoMetrix), ensuring real-time visibility of corrective actions and improving audit readiness scores from 82% to 96%."

• "I monitored and reported monthly TRIR, LTIFR, and leading indicators, enabling management to identify high-risk departments and implement controls that led to a 50% reduction in recordable injuries over 18 months.

• "I participated in over 20 MOC reviews involving equipment upgrades and layout changes, ensuring all changes were risk-assessed, documented, and included in updated SOPs and training within 14 days of implementation."

8. Emergency preparedness

Emergency preparedness is included in General Safety Regulation 3 and other regulations that may apply to some workplaces, such as the Major Hazardous Installation and Explosives Regulations.

When demonstrating your experience in this regard, you may want to mention your involvement in activities such as:

• Developing or reviewing emergency response plans (e.g., fire, chemical spill, gas leak).

• Participating in mock drills, fire evacuation exercises, or confined space rescue simulations.

• Managing fire detection and suppression systems, including testing schedules and compliance.

The measurable outcome from the above will relate to the impact of the response plans you reviewed, mock drills you participated in, and fire detection and suppression systems you brought to compliance.

9. Contractor and project safety

OHSA refers to contractors as mandataries, and your responsibilities to inform, train, and manage are somewhat covered under Section 37. In industry, we referred to these as the Section 37(2) agreements, which are generally included in the contractor appointment letters.

More guidelines on dealing with contractors are covered under the construction regulations for projects that need to comply with the construction regulations. In some of the regulations, you will note the mention of manufacturers, suppliers, repairers, and the like. Whatever terminology is used, the important thing here is that you need to ensure that they execute work safely while at your workplace.

So, make sure you mention one or more of the following in your GCC Factories application:

• Vetting contractors’ safety files and ensuring compliance before commencing site work.

• Conducting pre-task risk assessments and joint site inspections with contractor teams.

• Reviewing method statements and Job Hazard Analyses (JHA) for complex maintenance or construction tasks.

You can demonstrate the depth of your experience as a GMR 2.1 by mentioning the following:

• "I reviewed and approved over 80 contractor safety files across multiple shutdowns and projects, ensuring 100% legal compliance with OHSA, Construction Regulations, and site-specific SHEQ standards."

• "I facilitated over 120 pre-task risk assessments and joint inspections during high-risk tasks (e.g., confined space entry, hot work), contributing to a 40% reduction in near misses over 12 months."

• "I standardized method statement and JHA review checklists across contractor teams, improving submission quality by 50% and reducing approval delays during shutdowns."

10. Environment, health, and safety integration

Environmental risk factors have a direct impact on health and safety. It is, therefore, essential to link them and ensure control and integration of control measures.

Where applicable, make mention of your involvement in ensuring compliance with the:

• National Environmental Management Act

• Environmental Impact Assessment

• Air Quality Act

• Water Act

• Biodeversity Act

• Protected Areas Act

• National Climate Change Response

• National Forests Acts

From an OHSA perspective, the regulations you can mention related to environmental matters include asbestos, lead, hazardous chemical agents, biological agents, and noise regulations.

You can demonstrate your appreciation of these matters by including the following in your GCC Factories application:

• Ensuring environmental compliance during maintenance work, e.g., proper disposal of waste oils and spill response.

• Addressing noise, dust, fumes, and emissions at source through engineering controls.

• Aligning engineering design and modifications with safety-in-design principles.

Examples of measurable outcomes related to environment, health, and safety integration may include the following:

• "I coordinated the safe handling and disposal of over 5,000 litres of used oils and solvents annually, resulting in zero environmental non-conformances during two ISO 14001 surveillance audits."

• "I installed or upgraded extraction systems, silencers, and dust suppression units on key equipment, reducing airborne dust levels by 55% and noise exposure by 8 dB(A) in high-risk zones."

• "I collaborated with design, safety, and operations teams to embed maintainability and safe access into equipment layouts, reducing maintenance-related safety deviations by 40%."

What other experience should you include with your GCC Factories application, and what must you demonstrate as a GMR 2.1?

In this post, I only covered the health and safety experience. But you will notice that some of the health and safety activities include experience related to:

• Engineering: You will need to use engineering design and reasoning principles to execute the engineering controls and evaluate compliance.

• Operations: You will need to understand the basic operation of the equipment and systems to implement the health and safety interventions, KPIs, and dashboards.

• Maintenance: You must use best practices to monitor and implement corrective actions to prevent catastrophic breakdowns of equipment and systems.

• Management: To execute the health and safety activities mentioned in this post, you must apply planning, organizing, leading, and controlling principles.

In your GCC Factories application, you may want to include the above categories of experience either directly by having specific sections covering them or indirectly by including them in your health and safety experience. Whichever option you take will assist in demonstrating that you may be a suitable candidate to write the GCC Factories exams and a future GMR 2.1 appointee.

Conclusion

Health and safety experience is one of the determining factors when applying to write the GCC Factories exams and trying to secure a job as a GMR 2.1 appointee.

The right type of experience that GCC Factories and GMR 2.1 aspirants need to prioritise includes the following:

• Legal and regulatory compliance

• Hazard identification and risk assessments

• Incident and accident investigation

• Maintenance safety practices

• Health surveillance analysis

• Safety training and culture

• Safety systems and reporting

• Emergency preparedness

• Contractor and project safety

• Environmental, health, and safety integration

When compiling your GCC Factories application, you will include your health and safety experience in your letter of experience. You can use the above types of health and safety experience as your categories, and then include bullet points on your experience gained for the respective employers you worked for.

When compiling your CV for GMR 2.1 roles, you will want to use the types of health and safety experience mentioned in this post. Make sure that you include measurable outcomes related to your experience. This approach will assist in demonstrating the extent of your expertise to prospective employers. You can then elaborate on your expertise during the interview and demonstrate your competency once you get the job.

As you embark on your professional development journey, you must be intentional about your work activities and always consider their impact on health, safety, environment, quality, productivity, and money (cost savings, return on investment, etc.).

Make sure you tailor the examples provided in this post to your experience. Don't copy and paste as is, and don't lie in your GCC Factories application and CV.

Next Steps

• [Blog] Learn more about the GCC Factories by reviewing our post on "What is the GCC Factories?"

• [Page] Explore the GCC Factories journey from its legal context to obtaining this prestigious certification for mechanical and electrical engineering graduates.

• [Course] Join our GCC Factories Plant Engineering Exam Preparation Programme, where we will help you easily prepare, feel less anxious, and gain confidence for the upcoming GCC Factories plant engineering exam. The course is accredited for 5 ECSA CPD points.

• [Course] Join our GCC Factories OHS Act Exam Preparation Programme, where we will help you easily prepare, feel less anxious, and gain confidence for the upcoming GCC Factories OHS Act exam. The course is accredited for 5 ECSA CPD points.

• [Course] Join our 'Understanding and Fulfilling the Role of the GMR 2.1' short course, which will help you gain the knowledge, insights, tools, and resources to become a successful GMR 2.1 appointee. The course is accredited for 4 ECSA CPD points.