Employers buy occupational health and safety training for two different reasons — to meet a legal obligation to train employees, and to develop safety practitioners — and the two need different courses.
This page sets out what an employer must provide, what a practitioner needs, and how to buy either without wasting money on training that does not count.
Business Requirements at a Glance
What training obligations and options exist.
- An employer must provide information, instruction, training and supervision as the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires
- Induction training for every new employee, covering the workplace hazards and procedures
- Task-specific training for hazardous work, before the work is done
- First aid training for appointed first aiders, at the required level
- Firefighting training for appointed emergency personnel
- Health and safety representative training for designated representatives
- Appointment training for people holding statutory appointments
- Qualifications for practitioners — certificates, diplomas or degrees, depending on the role
Registration and Legal Requirements
The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 places a general duty on an employer to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees, so far as is reasonably practicable, and duties on employees to take reasonable care of themselves and others.
That duty includes training, which is why it is an employer expense rather than an employee one. Requiring an employee to pay for training the employer is obliged to provide is a contravention.
Verify accreditation before paying. Occupational health and safety qualifications are typically quality-assured through a SETA or registered on the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework through the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), and registered qualifications appear on the SAQA register. Ask which body accredits the specific programme and verify with that body rather than with the provider.
Proprietary courses can be well recognised by employers while carrying no NQF credits. That is a legitimate product; the mistake is buying one believing it is a registered qualification. Ask in writing whether the programme is NQF-registered and how many credits it carries.
Appointment training is not a qualification and a qualification is not an appointment. The Act provides for written appointments to specific roles, and employers frequently need both.
Certificates expire. First aid and several safety certificates carry validity periods and require refresher training. Employers must keep appointments current, so track expiry dates.
Documents and Ownership Information Required
What an employer should have on file.
- Training records for every employee, signed and dated
- Certificates for appointed first aiders, with expiry dates tracked
- Certificates for appointed firefighting personnel
- Health and safety representative training records
- Written appointment letters for every appointment
- A training matrix showing who needs what training and when it expires
- Provider accreditation details for every course purchased
- Records of induction for every new employee
Tax, Licence and Compliance Requirements
Employers usually fund this through the SETA grant system. The mandatory and discretionary grant system exists to support workplace training, and a business paying the skills development levy is already contributing to it. Speak to your skills development facilitator or the relevant SETA before self-funding.
Ask four questions before buying any safety course: is it NQF-registered and how many credits does it carry; which body accredits it; what appointment or role does it support; and does it expire. A provider that answers all four in writing is one worth dealing with.
Check who issues the certificate. It should name the accrediting body with a verifiable number, not only the provider’s branding. Certificates that cannot be verified with an accrediting body are the pattern behind most complaints in this sector.
Practical assessment carries more weight than a multiple-choice test, with employers and in an investigation. Ask what the assessment involves.
Construction has its own requirements. The Construction Regulations require competent persons in defined roles, and the South African Council for the Project and Construction Management Professions (SACPCMP) registers construction health and safety practitioners in categories with their own qualification and experience requirements.
Mining is governed separately under the Mine Health and Safety Act 29 of 1996, with its own competencies quality-assured through the Mine Qualifications Authority. General industry training may not be what a mine requires.
Process, Deadlines and Ongoing Obligations
For an employer: build a training matrix from the risk assessment, identify who needs what, buy accredited training, and track expiry dates. That converts an obligation into a manageable schedule.
For a practitioner: establish the roles you want to hold first, then buy the training those roles require, rather than accumulating unrelated certificates.
Read the legislation. The Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations are published free by the Department of Employment and Labour, and reading them alongside any course is the cheapest improvement available.
Never buy a certificate. A safety certificate obtained without genuine training and assessment is worthless, and relying on it after an incident is far worse than having no certificate at all.
- Remember training is an employer expense, not an employee one
- Build a training matrix from the risk assessment
- Ask whether a course is NQF-registered and how many credits it carries
- Verify accreditation with the SETA or QCTO, not with the provider
- Check that certificates name the accrediting body and a verifiable number
- Ask what appointment or role a course actually supports
- Track certificate expiry dates and schedule refreshers
- Use the SETA grant system before self-funding
- Check SACPCMP requirements for construction roles
- Check Mine Qualifications Authority requirements for mining
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for safety training?
The employer. The Occupational Health and Safety Act places the duty to provide information, instruction, training and supervision on the employer, and charging employees for it is a contravention.
What should I ask before buying a course?
Whether it is NQF-registered and how many credits it carries, which body accredits it, what appointment or role it supports, and whether it expires. Get the answers in writing.
Is a proprietary certificate worthless?
No. Several are well recognised by employers while carrying no NQF credits. The mistake is buying one believing it is a registered qualification.
Does a qualification make me an appointed person?
No. Statutory appointments under the Act are written designations by an employer to specific roles. Employers frequently need both a qualification and appointment training.
Training obligations, accreditation, appointment requirements and sector rules are set in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, by the QCTO, the SETAs, the SACPCMP and the Mine Qualifications Authority, and are revised. Confirm current requirements with the relevant body.