If you are an HR, L&D, operations or compliance leader responsible for keeping people safe and your business legally compliant, this page covers what the training includes, who should attend, what it costs, and how to roll it out across your workforce.

Occupational Health and Safety Course Overview

This course prepares safety officers, supervisors and aspiring OHS professionals to meet South African legal requirements. Participants work step-by-step through legal issues, the functions of a safety officer, the different types of risk assessment, and how to identify hazards before they cause harm or downtime.

It is a practical, workplace-focused programme designed for staff who carry real responsibility for safety — not a theory-only qualification. A certificate is provided on completion.

Course at a glance

Course Modules and Outline

The curriculum covers 13 key areas, giving teams the full picture of OHS responsibility in a South African workplace:

• Health and Safety Committees and safety officer functions
• Risk assessment types (baseline, issue-based, continuous)
• Hazard identification and sources of hazards
• Health and Safety programmes and policies
• OHS Act regulations and overview
• Personal safety (PPE) equipment requirements
• Construction work safety plans
• Employee responsibilities and rights
• Health and Safety representatives and committees

By the end, participants can interpret the OHS Act, run a basic risk assessment, identify common workplace hazards, and understand how committees and reps function under the Act.

Who Should Attend

This programme is built for:

• Health and Safety officers
• Individuals pursuing a safety officer career path
• Employees in high-risk industries (construction, manufacturing, logistics, mining)
• SHE reps and members of health and safety committees

For management-level OHSA obligations, see the employer-focused section and related courses below.

OHS / Health and Safety Training for Employers

The OHS Act places the legal duty for a safe workplace squarely on the employer. Section 8 of the OHS Act requires every employer to provide and maintain, as far as reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees. Training is one of the most direct ways to discharge that duty — and to demonstrate due diligence if an incident is ever investigated.

For employers and management, BOTI also runs a dedicated OHSA management programme: “Demonstrate knowledge and application of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 (as amended) and the responsibilities of management in terms of the Act.”

OHSA for management at a glance

This course prepares CEOs, directors, line managers, supervisors, safety officers and compliance personnel to understand OHSA requirements and management obligations. Participants learn to:

• Explain manager obligations around communication and training
• Detail the requirements for minimum compliance
• Interpret the basic principles of the Act and its Regulations
• Determine the management controls required to achieve compliance

Why employers should invest in OHS training

• Legal compliance. Demonstrable training supports an employer’s “reasonably practicable” defence and shows due diligence under the OHS Act.
• Fewer incidents and less downtime. Trained staff spot hazards earlier and follow correct procedures, reducing injuries, claims and lost time.
• Functioning safety committees. Larger workplaces need elected health and safety representatives and committees — training makes them effective rather than nominal.
• Skills development credit. If your business pays the Skills Development Levy (1% of payroll), accredited skills development spend can contribute to the skills development element of your B-BBEE scorecard, where the target is 6% of the leviable amount. Speak to your BBBEE consultant on how OHS training fits your plan.

How to roll OHS training out across a workforce

1. Assess your risk profile — high-risk sites need more reps, committees and refreshers than low-risk offices.
2. Train management first so duties cascade correctly down the line.
3. Train SHE reps and committee members per site or department.
4. Schedule annual refreshers to keep competence current and records audit-ready.

Accreditation and Compliance

Both programmes are practical, facilitator-led skills programmes; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). Need a credit-bearing route? Ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited Generic Management qualification. BOTI is an accredited training provider — Services SETA 12582, MICT SETA ACC/2016/07/0045, and a QCTO Quality Partner.

This page provides general guidance on OHS obligations, not legal or financial advice. For binding interpretation of your specific duties under the OHS Act, consult a qualified OHS or legal professional.

Delivery Options

• In-house / on-site — we come to your premises and train your team together (most cost-effective for groups).
• Off-site — scheduled sessions in all major SA centres including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Sandton, Boksburg, Centurion and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).
• Online / remote — for distributed teams and multi-site organisations.

Related BOTI Courses and Resources

Build a complete compliance and governance capability for your team:

• Compliance and governance training — pillar overview of POPIA, OHS, QCTO and governance programmes for SA businesses
• POPIA compliance training — data protection duties that sit alongside OHS in your compliance plan
• Risk management training — broaden the risk-assessment skills introduced in this course
• First aid training — a natural companion to OHS for high-risk workplaces
• Browse all 450 BOTI courses — full corporate training catalogue

Frequently Asked Questions

Is occupational health and safety training mandatory in South Africa?
The OHS Act (85 of 1993) requires employers to provide a safe working environment “as far as reasonably practicable,” and to ensure employees are informed and trained on workplace hazards. While there is no single “mandatory course,” training is the standard way employers meet these duties and demonstrate due diligence. High-risk sites must also appoint trained health and safety representatives and committees.

How long is the occupational health and safety training?
The core OHS course runs over 2 days. The employer/management-focused OHSA programme runs over 3 days. Both can be scheduled in-house, off-site or online.

Can the training be delivered at our own premises?
Yes. In-house / on-site delivery is available at your venue anywhere in South Africa, plus off-site sessions in all major centres and online for remote teams.

Does OHS training count toward our B-BBEE scorecard?
Accredited skills development spend can contribute to the skills development element of your B-BBEE scorecard, where the target is 6% of the leviable amount. BOTI’s OHS training is a skills programme with a certificate of completion (not an accredited qualification), so it may not carry the same scorecard value — confirm with your BBBEE consultant, and ask us about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited Generic Management qualification for a credit-bearing route.

Ready to Make Your Workplace Compliant and Safe?

Train your safety officers, SHE reps and managers with practical, SA-context OHS training — delivered in-house, off-site or online.

Request a quote or book a free 15-minute callback: call BOTI on 011-882-8853 or enquire online.

Free resource: ask for our OHS Act compliance checklist when you enquire — a quick way to gauge where your workplace stands before you train.