Vela Sabelo
Founder, Inspecable
Vela Sabelo founded Inspecable in Johannesburg in 2025 to make the closed-out action the outcome of an inspection: a failed item becomes a tracked action with an owner and a due date, and it cannot close without evidence and a signature. Vela writes about inspections, corrective actions and MHSA and OHS Act compliance for South African mines and plants.
More about the company on the About page.
Articles by Vela Sabelo
29 October 2026 · 6 min read
Pre-use inspections under OSHA: forklifts, cranes and mobile plant
OSHA requires forklifts to be examined before use, construction cranes to be inspected every shift, and jobsite vehicles to be checked at the start of each shift. It mostly does not say how to record it. Here is what the rules say and what a record that holds up contains.
Read article29 October 2026 · 5 min read
Best SHEQ Software in South Africa (2026): 10 Products Compared
Ten SHEQ suites used in South Africa, scored on 16 key features including legal appointments, with where each one is strongest.
Read article26 October 2026 · 5 min read
How a permit to work system works in practice
Most permit systems fail at the same three points: isolations assumed rather than verified, permits signed in an office, and close-out that never happens. Here is the sequence a working permit to work system follows, step by step.
Read article22 October 2026 · 6 min read
Corrective action under ISO 45001: what clause 10.2 asks you to prove
Clause 10.2 of ISO 45001 is not satisfied by a register full of ticks. An auditor samples actions and traces each one from the event to the cause, the fix and the proof that the fix worked. Here is what that trace looks for.
Read article19 October 2026 · 5 min read
What the Pressure Equipment Regulations require you to record
A pressure vessel without its records is, to an inspector, a pressure vessel without a history. Here are the records the Pressure Equipment Regulations expect a user to hold, and how to keep them current without a filing cabinet.
Read article15 October 2026 · 6 min read
TRIR vs LTIFR: two safety rates, two bases
TRIR counts every OSHA-recordable case per 200,000 hours worked. LTIFR counts lost-time injuries per 1,000,000 hours. Same site, same year, very different numbers. Here is how each is built, how to convert between them, and what neither one shows.
Read article12 October 2026 · 7 min read
Sections 22 and 23 of the MHSA: what every employee must do, and when they may walk away
Section 22 puts six duties on every employee at a mine. Section 23 gives them the right to leave a working place they reasonably believe is seriously dangerous. Here is what each section says, and the records a mine should be able to show for both.
Read article31 August 2026 · 8 min read
Digitising Mine Safety: From Paper to Records You Can Produce
Paper does not fail because it is old-fashioned. It fails because a finding written on a form has no owner, no deadline and no proof it was fixed. Here is what changes when the record becomes data.
Read article27 August 2026 · 6 min read
SHEQ Software Pricing in South Africa: What to Expect
SHEQ software pricing ranges from per-user apps to enterprise contracts. Here is how the models work, what drives the cost, and what a mid-tier South African operation should expect to pay.
Read article24 August 2026 · 6 min read
Offline-First vs Cloud Inspection Software for Mining
Cloud-only apps need a live connection — the first thing to fail underground. Offline-first apps capture on-device and sync later. Here is why that difference decides whether inspections happen at all.
Read article20 August 2026 · 6 min read
SafetyCulture (now Mitti) Alternatives for South African Mines
SafetyCulture is popular and easy — but industry-agnostic. If you need MHSA compliance depth, offline capture underground and closed-loop actions, here is what to look for in an alternative.
Read article17 August 2026 · 8 min read
Best Mining Safety Software in South Africa (2026): An Honest Comparison
There is no single "best" mining safety software — there are categories with different trade-offs. Here is an honest map of the options for a South African operation, and how to choose.
Read article13 August 2026 · 8 min read
How to Choose SHEQ / Inspection Software in South Africa
Most SHEQ tools demo well. The right one for a South African mine is decided by six things: compliance depth, offline capture, closed-loop action, ease of use, ZAR pricing and integrations.
Read article10 August 2026 · 8 min read
How to Prepare for a Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate Audit (what most people still call a DMRE audit)
An inspector will ask for your risk assessments, records, appointments and evidence that findings were closed. Here is the checklist to have ready — and how to make audit-readiness a by-product of daily work.
Read article6 August 2026 · 7 min read
Section 54 vs Section 55 Notices Explained (and How to Avoid Them)
Section 54 responds to danger and can stop your mine. Section 55 responds to non-compliance and gives you time to fix it. Here is exactly how they differ — and how to avoid both.
Read article3 August 2026 · 7 min read
Baseline vs Issue-Based vs Continuous HIRA: The Three-Tier Model
A compliant mine runs three kinds of HIRA. The baseline sets the risk profile, issue-based digs into the big risks, and continuous keeps the workforce alert every shift. Here is how they fit together.
Read article30 July 2026 · 7 min read
Section 11 of the MHSA Explained: Your Risk-Assessment Obligations
Section 11 is the legal heart of MHSA compliance. It tells every employer to identify hazards, assess the risk, record it, control it and review it. Here is what each duty means in practice.
Read article27 July 2026 · 9 min read
The Complete Guide to MHSA Compliance for South African Mines
MHSA compliance comes down to a repeatable loop: identify hazards, assess the risk, control it, record it, and review. Here is how each part works — and how to keep the paperwork ready for an inspector.
Read article16 March 2026 · 5 min read
Why Mining Inspections Are the Backbone of Operational Safety
Many mining incident investigations trace back to the same root cause: a missed or poorly executed inspection. Here is why structured inspections are non-negotiable for mine safety.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
Implementing Digital Mining Inspections: A Step-by-Step Guide
You have decided to go digital. Now what? This step-by-step guide walks you through implementing digital inspections at your mine, from week one to full deployment.
Read article16 March 2026 · 5 min read
The Evolving Role of Safety Officers in a Digital World
The safety officer role is being fundamentally reshaped by technology. Those who adapt will become strategic risk advisors. Those who do not will be left behind.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
Top Tools Safety Officers Use to Prepare for Audits
The difference between scrambling before an audit and being perpetually ready is the tools you use daily. Here is what each kind of tool should do for you.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
How HSE Teams Use Inspecable to Close Compliance Gaps
Compliance gaps do not happen because safety officers are careless. They happen because manual systems cannot keep up with the volume and complexity of modern HSE requirements.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
Paper vs Digital Inspections: The Complete Comparison
We put paper and digital inspections head-to-head across every metric that matters: cost, speed, accuracy, compliance, and scalability.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
How to Migrate from Excel Inspections to a Digital Platform: A Step-by-Step Plan
Your Excel inspection spreadsheets have served you well, but they have hit their ceiling. Here is a practical 14-day migration plan that minimises disruption and maximises adoption.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
What Makes a Great Inspection Platform? 7 Features That Matter
Digitising a paper form is easy. Building a platform that actually improves safety outcomes, operational efficiency, and compliance is hard. These 7 features separate the two.
Read article16 March 2026 · 7 min read
Inspecable vs Mitti (SafetyCulture) vs GoCanvas: a sourced comparison
Inspecable, Mitti (the product most still call SafetyCulture or iAuditor) and GoCanvas, compared from their own pages on a stated date, with where each one is the better fit.
Read article16 March 2026 · 6 min read
Why Teams Switch to Inspecable
Here are the reasons operations teams most often give for moving off paper, spreadsheets or another inspection platform, and what Inspecable does about each.
Read article1 December 2024 · 7 min read
The Hidden Cost of Paper-Based Mining Inspections
If you're a safety officer or operations manager in South Africa's mining sector still using paper inspection forms, paper is probably costing you more than you realize.
Read article28 November 2024 · 7 min read
Section 54 Notices: How Digital Inspections Help Prevent Mining Shutdowns
A single Section 54 notice halts production immediately and can be costly to resolve. Here's how digital inspection platforms support the record-keeping and defect-response practices that reduce that risk.
Read article25 November 2024 · 12 min read
Mining Inspection Software Buyer's Guide: 8 Must-Have Features for MHSA Compliance
Choosing the wrong inspection software costs you a failed implementation and leaves the compliance risk in place. This guide breaks down the 8 non-negotiable features for mining operations.
Read article22 November 2024 · 8 min read
CMMS vs Digital Inspection Platform: What Mining Operations Actually Need
Some mining operations buy a CMMS expecting it to handle inspections, or an inspection tool expecting it to run maintenance. This guide clarifies what each system actually does and when you need both.
Read article19 November 2024 · 9 min read
Inspecable vs. Competitors: How to Compare Mining Inspection Platforms
An honest comparison of Inspecable against other mining inspection platforms — what sets us apart, and where we're not the right fit.
Read article16 November 2024 · 10 min read
14-Day Free Trial Success Plan: Build Your Inspecable Business Case in 2 Weeks
Don't waste your 14-day Inspecable trial. This day-by-day plan gives you your own numbers on inspection time and inspector adoption, and a board-ready business case, in two weeks.
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