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On Friday, 5 December 2025, Notice 6907 was published in Government Gazette No. 53783, in terms of which the Minister of Employment and Labour ("the Minister"), under section 43 (as amended) of the OHASA, promulgated the following:
- Notice regarding amendment to the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces
- Notice regarding amendment to the General Safety Regulations.
Environmental Regulations for Workplaces – Notice 6907
The Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, 1987 (published in Government Notice No. R. 2281 of 16 October 1987), were repealed in terms of the Physical Agents Regulations, Government Notice No 52226 of 6 March 2025. In terms of regulation 21 of the Physical Agents Regulations, the repeal will, however, come into effect 18 months after the date of promulgation of the Physical Agents Regulations. The date of promulgation of the Physical Agents Regulations is 6 March 2025.
Prior to the coming into operation of the repeal, the Minister may make amendments to the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, 1987. The Minister attempted to do so by amending regulations 6, 8, 9 and 10. The wording of the purported amendment is, however, verbatim the provisions of the Environmental Regulations for Workplaces, 1987, as it was prior to the issue of the above notice on 5 December 2025.
Notice regarding Amendment to the General Safety Regulations – Notice 6907 ("the Notice")
This notice contains certain amendments to regulations 2(1), 3 (4) and 14. The amendment to regulation 2(1) is a rectification of the typographical error in the previous wording of the regulation, by substituting the word "user" for the word "use" in the first line of the provision. The amended provision now provides as follows:
"Every employer and every user of machinery shall make an evaluation of the risk attached to any condition or situation which may arise from the activities of such employer or user, as the case may be, and to which persons at a workplace or in the course of their employment or in connection with the use of machinery are exposed, and he shall take such steps as may under the circumstances be necessary to make such condition safe."
Regulation 3 provides for the authority who may issue a valid certificate of competency in first aid, where a certain number of employees are employed. Prior to the amendment such authority was:
"(a) the SA Red Cross Society;
(b) the St John's Ambulance;
(c) the SA First Aid League or
(d) a person or organisation approved by the Chief Inspector
for this purpose"
In terms of the amendment the certificate of competency in first aid may only be issued by "an organisation approved by the Chief Inspector".
Regulation 14 prescribes certain offences and penalties. The amendment now adds the provisions of regulation 13A and 13B to regulation 14. Such regulations prescribe certain requirements of "ladders" and "ramps".
Click here to view a copy of the notice.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
