Construction compliance in South Africa
Contractors, sub-contractors, civil and building firms and the professionals who work on their sites.
Laws that usually apply
Sites carry the heaviest health and safety duties, including the Construction Regulations made under the Act.
Employers usually need to be registered and in good standing with the Compensation Fund, which main contractors often ask for.
Public-sector work and many private tenders require registration at the right CIDB grade.
Tenders often score or require a B-BBEE level, and the construction sector has its own code.
Site labour, hours, overtime and leave are regulated by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.
Fair dismissal and discipline rules apply to site and office staff alike.
Employers register and contribute for their employees.
Clients, principal contractors and contractors have specific duties, from baseline risk assessments to health and safety plans and notification of some work.
Site safety basics such as first aid, housekeeping and equipment apply to construction employers.
Temporary and permanent electrical installations need a certificate of compliance.
Cement, solvents, paints and fuels expose workers to hazardous chemical agents.
Plant and powered tools need guarding, trained operators and maintenance.
Sites often use foreign workers and labour brokers, and employers must check that every worker is allowed to work.
You hold personal information about workers, subcontractors and clients.
Templates you will probably need
What customers, tenders and funders often ask to see
- COIDA letter of good standing
- CIDB registration
- B-BBEE certificate or sworn affidavit
- Health and safety file and policy
- Tax compliance status
Trade licences, professional registrations and site-specific permits are outside our self-assessments, so check those with the relevant authority.
How ComplianceDesk helps
- Take the self-assessments above and see your gaps, free and without an account.
- Save a result to your organisation and each gap becomes a task with an owner and a due date.
- Fill in a template, save it to your Policy Library and track who has acknowledged it.
- Choose the filing dates that apply on the compliance calendar and get an email before each one.
Questions
Do I need a health and safety policy?
Employers with enough employees are usually required to have a written health and safety policy under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Our template is a starting point you adapt to your sites. Check the current thresholds with the Department of Employment and Labour.
Does using ComplianceDesk make us compliant?
No. The self-assessments show where you have gaps against each law and give you tasks, templates and reminders to close them. Compliance depends on what you actually do, and the content is a guide that an attorney should review before you rely on it.
Can I try the self-assessments without an account?
Yes. Every self-assessment is free to take, and your answers stay in your browser until you choose to save a result to an organisation.
Track it all in one place
ComplianceDesk turns each law into controls with owners, due dates and evidence.