About Dr Haidee WilliamsI obtained my medical degree from the University of Cape Town in 1995 and qualified as an Occupational Medicine Specialist in 2009.
An occupational medicine specialist is a medical doctor who specialises in the field of occupational and environmental medicine.
As an occupational medicine specialist my focus is on preventative medicine and the management of work related illnesses, injuries and disabilities, but as a specialist I operate at a level beyond the individual worker and work effectively with employers, workers, unions and government agencies to improve workplace health and employee wellness.
I am appointed as a specialist consultant on the Occupational Medicine Panel of the Q(h)ubeka Trust. The Q(h)ubeka Trust is a trust that was established to provide compensation to qualifying claimants in respect of silica related diseases. The medical panel reviews all medical information of the claimant to establish if they have silicosis.
I started my career working a medical officer at the Clothing Industry Health Care Fund. It was here where I developed my passion for occupational medicine.
I have extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry as I was the Head of Occupational Health, Safety and Environment at Fine Chemicals Corporation, an active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturer and a division of Aspen Pharmacare.
Active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing combines the hazards associated with hazardous chemical handling with the strict regulatory environment associated with the pharmaceutical industry. It was at Fine Chemicals that I honed my hazard assessment and safety data sheet development expertise.
My role included not only providing occupational health services but also managing the department. I was responsible for the strategic planning for my department, setting departmental performance targets, negotiating service provider contracts as well as setting and managing the departmental budget.
The role as head of the OHSE department enabled me to broaden my skill set to include the management of occupational safety (including legal compliance, legislative appointments, safety inspections, permit to work systems, and incident reporting and investigation) and environmental management (including environmental risk assessments, legal compliance and sustainability reporting).
Dr Haidee Williams is a specialist occupational medicine physician with particular experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing, hazardous chemical substances and complex occupational health systems. Her work includes occupational toxicology, health-based risk assessment, medical adjudication, occupational health programme development and review, hazardous substance management, hazard communication and training, and practical guidance on occupational health, safety and environmental requirements.
