Our next Featured Company is ASPIRATA, specialists in the Health and Safety industry – they provide their clients and partners with a clear, holistic, consistent and integrated approach to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. The company’s offices are in Building 2 at our Berkley Office Park. Here is the interview with Sybrand Strauss, Unit Manager of ASPIRATA.
PERSONAL
Q: How would you be introduced by a close friend at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, title, interesting fact etc.
A: This is my old friend Sypie he is a very rich Farmer
Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything related to your family, children, their achievements, hobbies, interests etc.
A: I will never miss any “Binnelanders” episode.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?
A: I am a farmer in heart and soul as the Afrikaans saying goes ‘in murg en been’ . There is nothing more relaxing than spending time on my farm with my cows.
Q: Which book had the biggest impact on you and why?
A: Besides my bible I don’t really read much. I usually read scientific publications and literature.
Q: Who is/has been the most important mentor in your life and why?
A: I can’t think of one specific person because there have been numerous people that played an important role in my life.
Q: If you could invite any three South Africans to a dinner party, who would you invite?
A: Brandt Pretorius – He was the founder of McCarthy Group
Whittey Basson – He is an excellent businessman
Carl Senekal – The most prominent and successful farmer
Q: Which gadgets do you personally use on a day-to-day basis and if you had to pick a single gadget you could not live without, which would it be?
A: My Laptop, iPad and Cell phone are gadgets I use on a daily basis. I cannot go a day without my iPad! Who would have thought that a farmer cannot live without his iPad!
ABOUT ASPIRATA
Q: When was ASPIRATA founded?
A: December 2000
Q: What do you specialise in?
A: Aspirata specializes in the following:
Occupational Health and Safety
The occupational health and safety Act (Act85 of 1993) as well as the regulations pertaining to this act contain provisions directing employers to maintain a safe workplace and to minimize the risk of exposing employees and the public to hazards.
- Aspirata’s services in this regard include:
- Conducting legal compliance audits
- Developing sustainability programs
- Approved inspection authority services
- Providing training courses in Occupational Health and Safety
- Negotiations with the compensation commissioner regarding rebates.
Construction Health and Safety
The construction regulations published in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act(Act no 85 of 1993) hold a client responsible for health and safety on a construction site
Aspirata’s services as a health and Safety agent cover amongst others:
- Developing site-specific health and safety specifications.
- Approval of all the principal contractors’ health and safety plans.
- Conducting regular site audits as specified in the construction regulations
Hygiene Food Safety and Quality
The Health Act, 2003(Act 61 of 2003) foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfections Act (Act54 of 1972) and numerous food standards contain provisions directing the food industry to ensure the provision of safe, quality food and to maintain a high degree of hygiene.
Aspirata’s Hygiene Food Safety and Quality services include but are limited to:
- Conducting food hygiene, safety and quality audits.
- Conducting legal compliance audits.
- Due diligence evaluations/investigations.
- Food premises design and consultancy services.
- Hazard Analysis and critical control point (HACCAP) implementation/auditing
Microbiological and Chemical laboratory testing
Aspirata is one of the leading laboratory service providers in Southern Africa. We have custom built, state-of-the-art chemical and microbiological laboratories enabling us to provide a broad range of testing and examinations services.
The Aspirata Microbiological and Chemical Laboratory (AMCL) is SANAS accredited (accreditation number T0367) and operates a laboratory management system in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2005. Please refer to our Microbiological and Chemical laboratory brochures for more information on accredited tests.
Training
The Aurecon Training Academy (ATA) is an SETA accredited training provider with a memorandum of understanding from various other SETA’s (Registration No. 583/ETQA07P012). Aspirata offers the following courses and qualifications:
- Auditing:
- Beginners’ course: Internal Auditing Principles.
- Audit Principles(ISO 19011)
- Food Safety: Industry – specific course.
- Introduction to hygiene
- Microbiology in food handling.
- HACCP awareness
- Advance course in HACCP
- Hygiene for the game industry.
- Traceability and recall.
- Hygiene principles in the poultry abattoir.
- GMP as part of a food safety management system.
- Food safety Legislation.
- Laboratory
- Introduction to sampling procedures.
- Microbiology for non-microbiologist.
- Basic course on sampling and sampling techniques.
- Occupational Health and Safety and Occupational Hygiene Training
- Health and Safety representative training.
- Occupational health and safety awareness.
- Induction training for work on construction sites.
- Legal liability to OHS act
- First Aid training
- Hazard identification and risk assessment
- Incident investigation.
- Construction health and safety
- Construction supervisor training
- Legal liability – construction regulations.
- Certification.
- Certification services in line with ISO/IEC 17021:2011.
- Certification of an organisation’s management system confirms that the company has documented and implemented a management system that complies to specific national and international systems specifications. Aspirata Certification will provide you with an independent assessment of the relevant system. This verification, and resulting certification, serves as a testimony to the effectiveness and validity of the applicable system, and the company’s commitment to professionalism, quality, safety and good governance.
Q: How do you find and retain a great team of employees?
A: We source our auditors through Universities. I believe in basic, good employment.
Q: What has been the single biggest reason for your success?
A: Excellent service delivery and integrity.
Q: What relationship building tips do you have for other business owners?
- Respect
- Embracing diversity
- Excellent service delivery
LIFE IN PRETORIA AND BERKLEY OFFICE PARK
Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Pretoria?
A: It is the home of the Blue (Pink) Bulls
Q: Favourite restaurant for a business lunch?
A: Royal Elephant Hotel restaurant.
Q: What do you enjoy most about having your offices in Berkley Office Park?
- It is a gated community;
- There is a close proximity to other businesses and social areas;
- We receive excellent service from our Landlord.
