Occupational Health and Safety Course
Short, practical occupational health and safety training for the people who carry the duty — safety officers, SHE representatives, supervisors and managers. Built around what the OHS Act actually requires of an employer, and run at your premises anywhere in South Africa.
At a glance
- Built around the duties in the OHS Act
- For safety officers, SHE reps and line managers
- Practical compliance, not legal theory
- Pairs with first aid, fire and risk assessment training
- Run at your premises anywhere in South Africa
The course
What does an occupational health and safety course cover?
An occupational health and safety course should answer one question for the person sitting in it: what does the law expect of me, and how do I actually do it on Monday? Ours is built around the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the duties it places on employers, on appointed people, and on employees themselves.
Delegates work through the structure: the general duties of the employer, the appointments the Act requires and what each appointee is actually responsible for, the role and rights of the health and safety representative and the committee, and the records that prove any of it happened.
The rest is the practical machinery — identifying hazards and assessing risk, first aid and emergency requirements, reporting incidents and injuries on duty, and running the inspections and meetings that keep the system alive rather than filed.
Who it is for
Who should do an occupational health and safety course?
This is a course for people with a named responsibility, not a general awareness session for the whole workforce.
Safety officers
The people running health and safety day to day, who need the duties, the appointments and the paperwork straight.
SHE representatives
Elected representatives who need to know what the Act actually entitles them to do, and what the committee is for.
Supervisors and line managers
The people who carry the duty in practice, whether or not they think of themselves as safety people.
Employers and business owners
Owners of smaller operations who are personally on the hook and want to know where they stand before an inspector tells them.
The content
What the course covers
The course follows the way the duties actually stack up, from the employer down to the record.
| Area | What delegates cover | What it gives them |
|---|---|---|
| Duties and appointments | The employer's general duties, the appointments the Act requires, and what each appointee is responsible for | A clear picture of who is legally responsible for what on their site |
| Hazards and risk | Identifying hazards, assessing risk and applying the hierarchy of controls | The ability to produce and maintain a usable risk assessment |
| Emergencies and records | First aid and emergency requirements, incident reporting, injury on duty, inspections and committee meetings | A compliance routine that survives an inspection |
How it works
How does the OHS course run?
01
Tell us about the operation
Give us the number of delegates and the kind of site. A course for a warehouse should not be the same course as one for a clinic.
02
Agree a date and a venue
We run the occupational health and safety course at your premises anywhere in South Africa, or in our training room at Kelvin View in Sandton.
03
Work your own compliance
Delegates apply each section to their own workplace as they go, so the course output is their own site's position rather than a worked example.
04
Assessment and certificate
Delegates are assessed on the work they produce. Those who meet the standard receive a certificate for their file.
Need your safety team trained? Tell us how many, and where.
Why run your OHS training with Ralmed?
We work the other end of the Act. Ralmed runs occupational health clinics and treats injuries on duty. The compliance in this course is compliance we deal with in practice.
Practical, not academic. This is a short course for people with a job to do, not a qualification route. If you want a diploma, a university is the right place.
One provider for the whole duty. First aid, fire, risk assessment and the clinic itself can all come from the same team.
Anywhere in South Africa. We bring the course to your site, wherever it is.
Cost
What does an occupational health and safety course cost?
The course is quoted per group rather than off a fixed list, because the cost moves with the things below. Send the numbers and we will confirm in writing.
These are the things that set the price:
- The number of delegates on the course
- Whether we train at your premises or in our training room
- Travel, for courses at distant sites
- Certification and course materials
- Whether first aid, fire or risk assessment run for the same group
For a quote, tell us how many people need the course, the kind of operation and where you are. Call 0861 725 633 or send a WhatsApp.
Your options
A short course, or a formal qualification?
Occupational health and safety training is sold at very different levels. Picking the wrong one wastes either money or time.
| Option | What it is | Suits | Things to weigh up |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short OHS course | A practical course on the duties, the appointments and the records | Safety officers, SHE reps, supervisors and owners who need to comply now | Not a formal qualification or a career credential |
| Formal qualification or diploma | A registered qualification from a university or college | People building a career as a safety practitioner | Months to years, and considerably more expensive |
| General safety induction | Short awareness training for all staff | The whole workforce, as an induction | Does not equip an appointed person to carry the duty |
Get started
How do you book an OHS course?
Send the number of delegates, the kind of operation and where you are, and we will come back with a date and a written quote.
Training room
89 Impala Road, Kelvin View, Sandton
Or we come to your premises.
Where do we run this course?
Anywhere in South Africa, at the client's own premises or in our training room. On-site works best, because delegates apply each section to the workplace in front of them.
See all our accredited medical training, or read our plain guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Questions
Questions about occupational health and safety training
What is an occupational health and safety course?
A short, practical course covering what the Occupational Health and Safety Act requires of an employer: the general duties, the appointments, the role of health and safety representatives and committees, hazard identification and risk assessment, first aid and emergency requirements, and the records and reporting that prove compliance.
Who needs OHS training?
Anyone with a named health and safety responsibility — safety officers, SHE representatives, committee members, supervisors and line managers — and the owners of smaller businesses, who carry the duty personally whether or not they have appointed anyone.
Is this the same as a safety officer qualification?
No. This is a short practical course for people who must comply now. A formal safety officer qualification is a longer route through a college or university. If a career credential is what you are after, this course is not it — and we will say so rather than sell you the wrong thing.
What does the OHS Act require of an employer?
In broad terms, to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to health — which in practice means identifying hazards, controlling them, making the required appointments, providing first aid and emergency arrangements, and keeping the records that show it was done.
Do we need a health and safety committee?
The Act requires health and safety representatives once a workplace passes a certain size, and a committee where there is more than one representative. The course covers when each is required and what they are actually there to do.
Can you train at our premises?
Yes, and it is the better option. Delegates apply each part of the course to their own workplace as they go, so the course produces something usable rather than notes.
Is there a certificate?
Yes. Delegates who meet the standard receive a certificate for their training file and the site's health and safety records.
Can this be combined with first aid or fire training?
Yes, and most clients do. The people appointed for health and safety are usually the same people appointed as first aiders and fire wardens, so training them together costs far less time.
Do you cover injury on duty and COIDA?
Yes. Reporting incidents and handling injuries on duty are part of the course. Ralmed treats injuries on duty and submits COIDA claims, so this is practical ground for us rather than theory.
How often should OHS training be refreshed?
Whenever the appointed people change, whenever the operation changes materially, and periodically in any case. An appointment held by someone who has left the company is a gap in your compliance.
Related training
Training that pairs with the OHS course
The same team usually needs first aid, fire fighting, risk assessment and incident investigation. For the medical side of the duty, see our occupational health services.
Book an occupational health and safety course
Tell us how many people need the occupational health and safety course, the kind of operation and where you are, and we will send a date and a written quote.