Straight answers.
The questions we hear most — on the Act, our training, and how working with RCMS actually goes.
Does the OHS Act apply to my business?
Short answer: if anyone works for you, yes. The Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 reaches every employer in South Africa, regardless of industry or size. What it expects of you scales with your risk profile — that's where a practical compliance review helps.
Are RCMS training courses accredited?
RCMS courses are professional training and continuing-development courses, built and kept current against the OHS Act and its regulations — they are not a formal accredited qualification. They're designed to give your people genuine, defensible competence, with verifiable certificates for your safety file.
How do I verify an RCMS training certificate?
Every certificate carries a unique number (printed top-right, with a scannable QR code). Enter it at rcms.co.za/verify — or scan the QR — and you'll see instantly whether the certificate is valid, who holds it, the course, and its validity dates.
How long are the certificates valid?
Three years for OHS Act Legal Liability, HIRA and Incident Investigation; two years for HSE Representatives. Learners and your office receive automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days before a certificate lapses, so refresher training can be booked in time.
How does online training work for a team?
Send us your team's details and we set them up on the Training Portal — each person gets a personal sign-in, works through interactive lessons at their own pace from any device, and sits a graded practical walkthrough plus written final. Their progress and certificates are tracked per company, ready for your safety file.
What is a 16(2) appointment, and do I need one?
Section 16(1) places the ultimate OHS duty on the chief executive officer; section 16(2) lets the CEO assign duties in writing to competent people with real authority and resources. A valid 16(2) appointment delegates duties — it never delegates the CEO's accountability away. We build complete, current appointment structures as part of our systems work.
When do I need HSE representatives?
Any employer with more than 20 employees at a workplace must designate health and safety representatives in writing. Representatives must be trained for their role — our RE-110 course covers their designation, rights and functions, inspections and the committee in practice.
When must I report an incident to the Department of Employment and Labour?
Section 24 of the OHS Act sets the thresholds — including deaths, serious injuries and dangerous occurrences — with strict timelines under the General Administrative Regulations. If you're unsure after an incident: preserve the scene, mind the legal timelines, and contact us — we guide clients through the first 24 hours.
Something we haven't answered?
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