While all businesses in South Africa are legally required to comply with the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, what that looks like for your particular business can depend on how many employees you have. One example of this is the composition of your Health and Safety Team.
In this article, we’ll look at how many employees you need to have to be legally required to appoint a Health and Safety Representative, a First Aider, and other important Health and Safety Team members.
How many employees do you need to have to appoint a Health and Safety Representative?
According to Section 17 of the OHS Act, any business employing more than 20 employees is required to appoint a Health and Safety Representative in writing for a set period of time. Usually, Health and Safety Representatives are appointed for a two-year period.
How many Health and Safety Representatives do you need in total?
Section 17 specifies that in the case of offices and shops, you are required to appoint one Health and Safety Representative per 100 employees (or part thereof). For all other workplaces (factories, warehouses, healthcare facilities, construction sites, etc.), the Act stipulates that employers must appoint one Health and Safety Representative per 50 employees (or part thereof).
Offices and shops:
· One H&S Rep per 100 employees
All other workplaces:
· One H&S Rep per 50 employees
Remember, this is the minimum requirement laid out by the OHS Act. Industry best practice is to appoint at least one Health and Safety Representative for every section, division, or department that you may have in your working environment, including in offices and shops.
How many employees do you need to have to appoint a First Aider?
Under the General Safety Regulations of the OHS Act, any workplace employing more than 10 employees is required to have a certified First Aider on site during normal office hours.
How many First Aiders do you need in total?
In the case of offices and shops, employers must appoint at least one First Aider per group of 100 employees (or part thereof). For other workplaces (factories, warehouses, healthcare facilities, construction sites, etc.), employers must appoint at least one First Aider per 50 employees (or part thereof).
Offices and shops:
· One First Aider per 100 employees
All other workplaces:
· One First Aider per 50 employees
Again, it’s important to note that this is the minimum requirement outlined by the OHS Act. We advise training and appointing at least one First Aider for every section, division, or department that you may have in your working environment. In high-risk work zones, additional First Aiders may be required.
How many employees do you need to have to appoint a Fire Warden?
The OHS Act doesn’t specify the minimum number of employees required for appointing a Fire Warden, however, Section 8 clearly states that employers have a responsibility to control or eliminate risks – including fire risks – in the workplace. In addition, the Environmental Regulations of the OHS Act and relevant SANS codes (SANS 10400-Part T, SANS 1475) provide guidelines and standards for fire precautions in the workplace. A key aspect of implementing effective fire precautions in the workplace is appointing a trained Fire Warden to operate firefighting equipment and assist with fire prevention programmes. Industry best practice is to appoint at least one Fire Warden for every section, division, or department that you may have in your working environment.
How many employees do you need to have to appoint an Evacuation Marshal?
Again, the OHS Act doesn’t specify the minimum number of employees required for appointing an Evacuation Marshal. However, Evacuation Marshals are a vital aspect of your Health and Safety Team and play an important role in emergency preparedness, including assisting with conducting legally mandated evacuation drills twice per year. Industry best practice is to appoint at least one Evacuation Marshal per 50 employees.
Basic Health and Safety Team requirements based on company size (based on industry best practice)
Please note that company size isn’t the only variable to consider when appointing Health and Safety Team members. The type of work done, and the company risk profile, will dictate how many Health and Safety Team members are required, and whether any specialist training (like Incident Investigation, Stacking and Storage, HAZMAT, etc.) is needed.
Here follows a useful ‘rule of thumb’ for determining how many Health and Safety Team members you may need, based on company size:
0-10 Employees
· Legally, businesses employing 10 or fewer employees aren’t required to appoint a First Aider, Health and Safety Representative, Fire Warden, or Evacuation Marshall.
· However, we strongly recommend appointing a certified First Aider. A serious medical emergency – like a fall, heart attack, stroke, or choking incident – can happen to anyone, anytime, and employers have a moral obligation to provide a safe and healthy work environment for employees.
11-20 Employees
· One First Aider
21-50 Employees
· One First Aider
· One Health and Safety Representative
· One Fire Warden
· One Evacuation Marshal
51-100 Employees
· Two First Aiders
· Two Health and Safety Representatives
· Two Fire Wardens
· Two Evacuation Marshals
· A Health and Safety Supervisor may be required depending on your company’s requirements
· A Health and Safety Committee is legally required in workplaces with two or more Health and Safety Representatives
101-150 Employees
· Three First Aiders
· Three Health and Safety Representatives
· Three Fire Wardens
· Three Evacuation Marshals
· Health and Safety Supervisor(s) as per company requirements
· Health and Safety Committee
Over 150 employees
· One First Aider per 50 employees (1:50)
· One Health and Safety Representative per 50 employees (1:50)
· One Fire Warden per 50 employees (1:50)
· One Evacuation Marshal per 50 employees (1:50)
· Health and Safety Supervisors as per company requirements
· Health and Safety Officer is strongly advised
· Health and Safety Committee
Additional occupational health and safety training may be required based on your industry and risk level:
· Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA)
· Incident Investigation
· Stacking and Storage
· First Aid Levels 1-3
· Advanced Firefighting
· HAZMAT
· Ergonomics
First Aid, Fire and Safety Training offers accredited occupational health and safety training online and in-person.
High-quality, accredited OHS training enables your Health and Safety Team to execute their responsibilities effectively and confidently. Download our course schedule to view our upcoming public course dates.
Please note that First Aid and Firefighting training is only available in-person, due to the practical, hands-on nature of these courses. Training can be conducted at our training centres nationwide, or at your premises for groups of eight or more delegates.
Other health and safety courses (including Health and Safety Representative, Evacuation Planning, Health and Safety Supervisor, HIRA, and Incident Investigation) can be conducted in-person or online via Microsoft Teams.