Welcome to the ‘‘Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Responsibilities of Management’’ programme. During this programme we will focus on the basic principles of health and safety legislation and the consequences of non-compliance.

Effectively managing health and safety within the business is one of the issues of the day. Each one of us is responsible for the health and safety of ourselves, our fellow men and the environment. Legislation in the form of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993) largely stipulates these responsibilities.

These guidelines will provide management, decision-makers and practitioners with a consistent language and approach toward the effective management of health and safety aspects and its influence on their own work situation. The basic requirements of legislation are included in this document. In the event of interpretation problems legislation should always take precedence over guidance. I trust you will find it a valuable document and useful point of reference.

Purpose of this session

After attending this course you will be able to explain the basic principles of relevant current health and safety legislation and the consequences of non-compliance.

As a qualifying learner you should be capable of:

• Understanding the basic principles of the Act and accompanying Regulations
• Explaining the requirements for minimum compliance stipulated in the Act
• Interpreting the management controls required to achieve compliance
• Understanding record keeping required by the Act
• Explaining the obligations of managers in terms of communication and training

The NQF level of this programme is Level 4.

Course outcomes

This course is aligned to Module Standard 120344, “Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of relevant current occupational health and safety legislation”.

There are five Specific Outcomes for this Module Standard:

1. Understanding the basic principles of the Act and accompanying Regulations
2. Explaining the requirements for minimum compliance stipulated in the Act
3. Interpreting the management controls required to achieve compliance
4. Understanding record keeping required by the Act
5. Explaining the obligations of managers in terms of communication and training