OHS Act compliance and legal appointments, organised in one place

What the OHS Act expects from employers

Section 8 sets out the general duties of employers. Among other things, employers must, as far as is reasonably practicable, provide and maintain systems of work, plant and machinery that are safe and without risks to health, identify the hazards attached to the work, and provide the information, instruction, training and supervision employees need to work safely.

Section 16 makes the chief executive officer responsible for ensuring those duties are properly discharged. Under section 16(2), the CEO may assign duties to other persons, which is why many organisations issue written "16.2" appointments to senior managers. An assignment does not relieve the CEO of responsibility, so the appointment should be clear about scope and supported by competence and resources.

Section 17 requires an employer with more than 20 employees at a workplace to designate health and safety representatives, and section 19 deals with health and safety committees where two or more representatives are designated. Regulations made under the Act add further roles, such as first aiders, incident investigators and, on construction sites, construction managers and supervisors.

How Compliance Junkie helps

Each appointment is generated from a template on your company letterhead, issued to an employee or external person, signed electronically and filed against that person's record and your safety file.

• Legal appointment letters (including 16.1 and 16.2 style appointments) with acceptance signatures and version history
• Health and safety representative and committee member records, with SHE committee meeting agendas and minutes
• Training and competency tracking, with reminders before certificates expire
• Incident and injury-on-duty records, including IOD forms, linked to the employee file
• HIRA risk assessments, PPE issue registers and inspection registers in the same system
• Audit-ready PDF packs you can download or email when an inspector or client asks

Built for South African workplaces

Compliance Junkie is built for South African employers, from small workshops and offices to multi-site operations. Industry templates help you start with appointments and registers that suit your type of work, and you can edit every template to match your own procedures.

Because OHS records sit next to HR, labour relations, payroll and training data, you avoid retyping employee details and you can see at a glance whether the person you appoint has the training the role needs.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 16.2 appointment?

It is a common name for a written assignment of duties made by the CEO under section 16(2) of the OHS Act. It records which OHS duties a manager is responsible for. The CEO remains accountable under section 16(1).

When do I need health and safety representatives?

Section 17 of the OHS Act requires employers with more than 20 employees at a workplace to designate health and safety representatives. The number required depends on the size and type of the workplace.

Can I keep signed appointments digitally?

Yes. Compliance Junkie stores signed appointment letters with a timestamped audit trail and version history, and you can print or export them whenever a hard copy is requested.

Does Compliance Junkie replace a safety officer?

No. The software organises your records, reminders and documents. Competent people still need to assess risks, run inspections and make safety decisions.