Health and Safety Intern
Company: SGS
Role summary
Health and Safety Intern is an internship role at SGS in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa (on-site). Posted 2026-08-24. Experience level: 0-2. No degree required.
- Job title
- Health and Safety Intern
- Company
- SGS
- Location
- Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
- Work arrangement
- on-site
- Employment type
- internship
- Category
- Software Engineering
- Experience level
- 0-2
- Degree required
- No
- Date posted
- 2026-08-24
You could get your start in the safety industry with this hands-on internship at SGS, a global leader in testing and inspection. It is a fantastic way to gain real-world experience without needing a degree, offering a great entry point if you are looking to build a career in health and safety compliance.
Job description
Company Description
SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 97,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.
Job Description
Ensure compliance with local legal & other requirements and global SGS requirements,
Ensure and support management and employees in understanding and implementing the objectives as developed as stated in the Location Top Page,
Ensure the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of the Health, Safety & Environment Management System (HSMS) procedures,
Comply with the Document Control requirements as stated in the Integrated Management System documentation,
Ensure proper and effective distribution and implementation of the Health, Safety & Environment (H&S) Management System documentation,
Ensure everyone knows the reporting process for hazards, near misses and incidents and the compliance to applicable timelines,
Lead and participate in incident investigations,
Develop a Hazard Identification process and facilitate Risk Assessments for all operational activities,
Facilitate Risk Assessments together with multidisciplinary teams according to SGS methodology to ensure all tasks are conducted safely, and that controls are effective and take into consideration the use of the Hierarchy of Controls,
Ensure that employees and contractors are trained in the applicable risk assessments and controls,
Ensure that Industrial Hygiene surveys are conducted at stated intervals and emanating recommendations are addressed,
Manage the process of internal and external audits and the training correlated,
Conduct the follow-up of the implementation of approved corrective, preventive actions, and recommendations,
Support site management in identifying risks and opportunities and identifying possible solutions and improvements,
Support management in understanding their legal liability in ensuring a safe workplace for employees and contractors,
Create awareness and encourage employees to exercise STOP WORK AUTHORITY when faced with unsafe work conditions,
Ensure adherence to monthly reporting deadlines of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) with accuracy and completeness,
Develop quarterly/half-yearly and annual management system reports and communicate successes, challenges, and make recommendations for improvements,
Ensure understanding and use of H&S digital tools (e.g., CRYSTAL, CHECK STATUS, LEAD ADVISER, CHEMWATCH, etc.)
Implement induction and onboarding programme for new and existing employees, contractors, visitors, etc., and conduct and/or ensure training is conducted to comply with SGS requirements,
Work with SGS Human Resources (HR) to ensure that a compliant medical surveillance programme is in place and effectively implemented,
Conduct trend analysis, analyze results, and make recommendations to management,
Prepare Management Review presentation/s that include the inputs & outputs as per the HSMS and support senior manager in facilitating the meeting,
Ensure effective communication of the requirements of stakeholders to all within all organization levels,
To develop managers awareness and ensure H&S is an integral part of line management responsibilities and objectives
Prepare, coordinate, and participate in all internal and external audits and assist all personnel that will participate in the audits,
To advise and work with management on corrective actions required,
Actively follow-up on corrective actions from audits, incident investigations, inspections, hazard identifications, etc., to ensure that they are effectively addressed,
Coordinate and actively participate in the screening and training of all personnel including contractors and visitors,
Keep abreast of any new developments (changes/updates in HSMS, local legislation, etc.) or policy updates and inform management accordingly,
To develop and maintain a high levels of H&S awareness among all personnel through communication, training, and active personnel involvement in H&S through prevention and reporting of nonconformities,
Lead the deployment of all HSE initiatives (including the annual global safety month) and ensure participation of all employees and contractors,
And do other tasks related to this position or delegated by his/her manager/s.
Qualifications
experience on both Risk Assessments and Incident Investigations.
Understanding of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993
Microsoft Tools experience – Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Outlook.
Document and report writing experience.
Additional Information
Be a South African citizen (be able to produce a valid South African ID document)
-Be between the ages of 18-30
-Must be currently unemployed
-Must have no criminal record
-Must be willing to relocate to Tokai
Exceptional Computer Literacy (use of MS Office suite – Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
An affinity for data analysis
Strong research skills
High attention to detail, accuracy, and efficiency in completing tasks.
Exceptional organizational skills
Self-motivated and high level of initiative
Possess analytical mind and can plan and prioritize,
Able to work under pressure with speed and efficiency,
Ability to understand and explain technical (HSE specific) topics for all levels of personnel,
Ability to understand site/country contributions to regional/global HSE performance and capability to use existing tools; prioritizing risks and influencing factors,
Ability to manage remote teams,
Ability to influence without direct reporting lines,
Ability to evaluate the accuracy of root cause analysis and the effectiveness of proposed solutions
Working knowledge of relevant HSE standards (ISO 14001 and 45001, etc) and prevailing legislation,
Problem-solving ability and able to make clear decisions and