SAMTRAC Salary in South Africa

Even though the salaries of health and safety officers are increasing, many professionals in the field are forced to bear unfairness in the distribution of wages. Some claim that people should not pursue a health and safety officer career, while others support the safety management profession die hardly.

Organization Name:	Health and Safety Officer
Monthly Salary Range:	R6660 – R23000
Average Monthly Salary:	R14830
Organization Description:	An expert who ensures that the workers practice safely in the workplace, measures risk factors, and provides health and safety guidelines is a health and safety officer.
Minimum Qualification:	An individual should complete the SAMTRAC course to apply for a health and safety officer position.

In this time of confusion and uncertainty, you need proper guidance to be a successful health and safety officer. Come with me to see the salary of a safety officer, the extras a professional enjoys, and the salary structure of the position. Once you understand the factors that influence the salary of a health and safety officer, you can decide whether the profession is worth joining.

Overview of SAMTRAC Salary

New business trends and the rising industrial sector have given birth to many jobs, for example, hundreds of health and safety seats. South Africa has become an industrial hub of all neighboring countries; therefore, people from Botswana, Zimbabwe, or Namibia come to our land for job hunting. Most young people prefer to get a job that can allow them to earn money and that position does not require substantial hard work.

If you are searching for such a job, you should apply for a health and safety position after completing your SAMTRAC course. The lowest salary of an employee in the industrial sector is about R6,660, while the highest recorded income of an individual is R23,000. A rough estimate indicates that the average monthly income of a health and safety officer is R14,500, and the median amount is R13,800 per month.

Extras

Some complain that the salary of a health and safety officer is below their expectations. Still, they ignore that employees also get several extras, such as bonuses, allowances, and facilities. For example, if an employee achieves a task before its due date, performs better than others, and does not take leave, he may get a personal performance bonus.

Furthermore, if the company achieves a significant milestone, it also adds an incentive to the salary of its health and safety officers. Lastly, some professionals get a list of facilities, such as free transportation, accommodation, and healthcare services. Polls suggest that 32% of health and safety officers get extras while 68% of employees are deprived of bonuses.

Salary Structure

The salary structure of health and safety positions is not as complex as the other positions. There is no particular ranking system; however, some factors can influence the salary of a health and safety officer. For example, experience, the education of employees, gender, and location.

Experience

Years of Experience	Monthly Income in Rands
0 – 2 Years	R7,560
2 – 5 Years	R10,100
5 – 10 Years	R14,900
10 – 15 Years	R18,200
15 – 20 Years	R19,800
20+ Years	R21,500

This table shows that an employee’s earnings increase accumulating with the years of professional service. The salary increases gradually from 0 to 2 years, but between 2 and 5 years, it rises by 34%. Similarly, the salary increases 48% between 5 and 10 years and 22% from 10 to 15 years.

An employee’s salary does not increase rapidly after 15 to 20 years and after 20+ years of service. For instance, the pay rises by 9% and 8%, respectively. In the future, the overall monthly income of health and safety officers will increase, but currently, the highest recorded income is R21,500.

Education

Education Level	Monthly Income in Rands
Certificate or Diploma	R8,620
Bachelor’s Degree	R13,500
Bachelor’s Degree	R22,700

As mentioned above, an employee’s qualification can influence his monthly income. The table addresses that if an employee is recruited after a diploma, he makes R8,620 monthly. However, the salaries of Bachelor’s and Master’s degree holders are R13,500 and R22,700, respectively.

Other Factors

• Gender: Unfortunately, South African salary laws were influenced by the colonial era when gender discrimination was legal. Therefore, a male and female health and safety officer’s salary varies based on gender. According to polls, a male earns 11% more than a female counterpart as a health and safety officer in the same sector.
• Location: Large metropolitan cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg allow people to make more money than the Durban and Soweto organizations. The main towns have large-scale industries, while the small cities’ industrial sector is struggling.

Responsibilities of Health and Safety Officer

Prevention

The primary task of a health and safety officer is to prevent accidents; therefore, he takes measures to counter these risks. For example, he identifies the risk factors and dangers at the workplace, then develops safety protocols to prevent the hazards and conducts safety inspections once the safety protocols are implemented.

Compliance

Another responsibility of a health and safety officer is to understand the latest safety regulations to prevent issues. In case of a tragedy, the HSO should prepare the documentation of details related to the incident and provide it to the relevant authorities. Lastly, he should collaborate with all the other agencies for investigation.

Training

A health and safety officer is not only responsible for protecting and investigating accidents and incidents but should also provide training to the workers. He should train employees in the strategies to counter the immediate dangers, for example, fire eruption, strain injury, crushing injury, and other calamities.

FAQs

Is a safety officer in demand in South Africa?

Yes, the demand for safety officers is increasing daily in South Africa due to the changing trends in the business and industrial sectors. Hundreds of safety officer positions are available for professionals who can apply after the SAMTRAC course.

How long is the Samtrac course in South Africa?

The duration of the SAMTRAC course is six months.

How vital is Samtrac?

SAMTRAC is a significant certificate for individuals who want to pursue a career in the industrial sector. It allows you to find a job as a health and safety officer.

What are the topics for Samtrac?

There are multiple topics in the SAMTRAC course, such as hazard identification, risk assessment, incident investigation, and legal compliance.

SAMTRAC is a 6-month course in which you study different areas of health and safety, such as hazard identification, incident investigation, and legal compliance. This course aims to provide an individual with a basic understanding of all the risk factors and the possible ways to tackle dangerous conditions. It also teaches an individual how to deal with such calamities and escape risky circumstances if he becomes the subject of an accident.

After completing this course, an individual can work as a health and safety officer or safety training manager in an industry or at a construction site. It is a tough job that requires 100% concentration of an individual; therefore, we should acknowledge the tireless efforts of safety training managers and appreciate their monthly incomes. I hope this information will help you in the future; thank you.