Section 16(1) · Section 16(2) appointment · Section 37(2) agreement · Approved inspection authority (AIA) · Baseline risk assessment · Competent person · Health and safety compliance certificate · COIDA · Construction work permit · Notification of construction work · Fall protection plan · First aider · Health and safety file · Health and safety plan · Health and safety specification · Health and safety representative (SHE rep) · Health and safety committee · HIRA · Hierarchy of controls · Letter of good standing · Medical certificate of fitness · Medical surveillance · Near miss · OHS Act · Principal contractor · Section 24 incident · SACPCMP · SAIOSH · Safety data sheet (SDS) · Toolbox talk

Section 16(1)

The part of the Occupational Health and Safety Act that places the employer’s duties on the chief executive officer. It applies automatically. There is no appointment letter, and the responsibility cannot be handed to someone else.

Section 16(2) appointment

A written assignment of health and safety duties by the chief executive officer to a person under his or her control, usually a senior manager. Often written “16.2 appointment”. It does not remove the CEO’s own responsibility. See the common legal appointments.

Section 37(2) agreement

A written agreement between an employer and a contractor (a “mandatary”) setting out how the contractor will comply with the Act while working for the employer. Clients usually want it signed before a contractor comes on site.

Approved inspection authority (AIA)

An organisation approved by the Department of Employment and Labour to carry out specific monitoring or inspections, such as occupational hygiene surveys for noise, chemicals or lighting.

Baseline risk assessment

A broad risk assessment of a whole workplace or project that sets the overall risk profile and shows where more detailed assessments are needed. See workplace risk assessments.

Competent person

Someone with the knowledge, training and experience for the specific task or equipment, and, where a regulation requires it, the relevant qualification or registration. Competence is always about the particular work.

Health and safety compliance certificate

A certificate from an independent health and safety practitioner confirming the outcome of an audit of your workplace against the Act. Also called an OHS certificate or certificate of compliance. See the compliance certificate guide.

COIDA

The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act, 1993. It provides compensation for employees injured or made ill by their work, funded by employer assessments paid to the Compensation Fund or a licensed insurer.

Construction work permit

A permit the client must apply for before certain large construction projects start, under Construction Regulation 3. Smaller projects that involve specified risks are notified instead.

Notification of construction work

The notice a contractor sends to the provincial director of the Department of Employment and Labour before starting construction work that involves specified risks such as excavation, working at height or demolition (Construction Regulation 4).

Fall protection plan

A documented plan, prepared by a competent person under Construction Regulation 10, covering the risks of working at height, the controls, training, equipment inspection and rescue.

First aider

A person with a valid first aid certificate. General Safety Regulation 3 requires one to be readily available during working hours where more than 10 people are employed.

Health and safety file

The file, or other record, holding the health and safety documentation for a site or contractor. Required on construction work and widely requested by clients. See what goes in a health and safety file.

Health and safety plan

A contractor’s site-specific plan showing how it will meet the client’s health and safety specification for a construction project.

Health and safety specification

The client’s site-specific document setting out the health and safety requirements for a construction project, based on a baseline risk assessment. Contractors price and plan against it.

Health and safety representative (SHE rep)

An employee designated in writing under section 17 to represent a part of the workplace. Required where there are more than 20 employees. Representatives inspect, raise hazards and sit on the health and safety committee.

Health and safety committee

Required under section 19 where two or more representatives have been designated. It must meet at least once every three months and keep a record of its recommendations.

HIRA

Hazard identification and risk assessment. The everyday South African term for a workplace risk assessment.

Hierarchy of controls

The order in which risk controls should be considered: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, engineer it out, use procedures and training, and only then rely on personal protective equipment.

Letter of good standing

A letter from the Compensation Fund or a licensed insurer confirming that an employer is registered and up to date under COIDA. Clients and tenders almost always ask for a valid one.

Medical certificate of fitness

A certificate from an occupational health practitioner confirming that an employee is fit for the work. On construction sites it must be in the form of Annexure 3 to the Construction Regulations.

Medical surveillance

A planned programme of medical tests for employees exposed to specific hazards, such as noise, chemicals or biological agents, to pick up health effects early.

Near miss

An unplanned event that could have caused injury, illness or damage but did not. Reporting near misses is the cheapest way to find weak controls. Try the Near-Miss Reporting check.

OHS Act

The Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993. South Africa’s main workplace health and safety law, supported by regulations on specific hazards and industries. Mines fall under separate legislation.

Principal contractor

The contractor appointed by the client to be in overall control of a construction site. The principal contractor appoints and manages the other contractors and keeps the consolidated health and safety file.

Section 24 incident

A serious incident that must be reported to the Department of Employment and Labour, such as a death, a serious injury or a dangerous occurrence. Incidents must also be recorded and investigated under the General Administrative Regulations.

SACPCMP

The South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions. Construction health and safety agents, managers and officers register with it.

SAIOSH

The South African Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, a professional body that registers occupational health and safety practitioners.

Safety data sheet (SDS)

The document a supplier must provide for a hazardous chemical, covering its hazards, safe handling, storage, protective equipment and emergency measures.

Toolbox talk

A short safety discussion with a work team, usually at the start of a shift, on one topic relevant to that day’s work. Our free safety posters are built to be used as toolbox talks.

These are plain-language explanations of South African occupational health and safety terms as at September 2026. They are not legal definitions or legal advice. For the exact wording, read the Act and the Regulations.