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Health and Safety Risk Assessment – Legal Requirements Is a Risk Assessment a legal requirement? Whether an employer runs a large, medium, or small organisation, or whether they are a sole trader, they must ensure that they are consistently compliant with the relevant laws that dictate their industry and trade. The necessary health and safety protocols must be followed and often there may be questions asked regarding risk assessments. Is a risk assessment a legal requirement? The short answer is yes. It is a legal requirement; however, it does not have to be a tedious, time-consuming exercise.

There are some employers who make use of contractors and is it important to identify the Health and Safety risks and obtain contractor compliance

Health and Safety Practices for a Contractor or Supplier Overview The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 places responsibility on the employer to ensure that a safe and healthy work environment is provided and maintained, without risk to the health of workers. Health and safety, however, is the responsibility of all employees, not only the employer or the employee alone. There are, however, health and safety practices for a contractor and/or supplier, which demands compliance. Contractors and suppliers must comply with the following:

Contractors Health and Safety Legal Appointments Overview In ensuring that a workplace remains healthy and safe, there are certain health and safety legal appointments required by a contractor. Every person in the workplace has a responsibility towards adopting safe working practices, wearing their PPE, complying with policies, standards, and rules, reporting unsafe conditions and acts, and numerous others. There are, however, also certain persons who must be appointed in writing, with their legal responsibilities and duties indicated on their letter of appointment. The following are legal appointments which are made by the client in terms of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993:

Health and Safety Induction Standard Requirements for South Africa Overview When considering the responsibilities and duties of the employer, one imperative question that employers must ask themselves is: Does your health and safety induction meet the standard requirements for South Africa? Health and Safety Management Standards

What is a Health and Safety Induction Overview As one of the legal requirements to which employers must conform, it is imperative to understand what a health and safety induction is, why it must be conducted, and how it is done effectively.  

Contractor and/or employers’ health and safety induction training does not only establish a firm foundation for strong safety performance, but it is also legally required by the Occupational health and Safety Act, 85 of 1993 (OHSA).

Contractor and/or employer’s health and safety inspections of the workplace can either be formal or informal. Formal inspections can be done in a variety of forms and the employer or contractor along with their employees must agree on the best method according to the workplace.