About This Course
Workplace health and safety is not merely a legal obligation — it is a fundamental expression of organisational values and a critical driver of productivity, reputation, and employee well-being. Across Africa, the Middle East, and globally, regulatory bodies are intensifying enforcement of occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation, and organisations that fail to comply face significant financial penalties, reputational damage, operational disruption, and — most critically — preventable harm to their people.
TrainingComplex's Health and Safety Laws and Compliance Training is a rigorously designed five-day programme that bridges the gap between legal theory and operational reality. It provides participants with a clear, practical understanding of the legal frameworks governing workplace safety in their jurisdiction and beyond, while equipping them with the skills to design, implement, audit, and continuously improve OHS compliance systems.
The course draws on internationally recognised standards — including the ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management System, ILO conventions, and regional statutory instruments — and maps them against real-world workplace scenarios. Participants will move beyond passive awareness to active compliance management: drafting risk assessments, developing safety policies, conducting internal audits, investigating incidents, and reporting to regulatory authorities with confidence.
Whether you are an HR professional managing employee welfare, a safety officer responsible for day-to-day compliance, a line manager overseeing high-risk activities, or an executive accountable for organisational governance, this programme will sharpen your understanding of legal duties and empower you to build safer, more compliant workplaces. Delegates leave with practical frameworks, ready-to-use templates, and the confidence to translate legislation into effective safety practice.
Who Should Attend
- Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Officers and Managers
- Human Resources Managers and Business Partners
- Operations and Facilities Managers
- Line Managers and Supervisors in high-risk industries
- Compliance Officers and Risk Management Professionals
- Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officers
- Occupational Health Nurses and Practitioners
- Engineering and Technical Staff with safety responsibilities
- Government and Public Sector Safety Inspectors
- Organisational Development and Policy Professionals
Learning Objectives
- Understand the legal foundations and legislative hierarchy governing occupational health and safety in national, regional, and international contexts
- Identify and interpret key provisions of OHS statutes, regulations, codes of practice, and employer duties under common law
- Conduct systematic workplace hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control in compliance with legal requirements
- Design, document, and implement an OHS management system aligned with ISO 45001 and relevant statutory requirements
- Develop legally compliant health and safety policies, procedures, safe work instructions, and emergency response plans
- Apply incident investigation techniques to determine root causes, legal reporting obligations, and corrective action requirements
- Plan and execute internal OHS compliance audits and interpret findings against legal benchmarks
- Manage relationships with regulatory inspectors, respond effectively to enforcement notices, and understand appeal mechanisms
- Foster a positive safety culture and communicate legal responsibilities across all levels of the organisation
- Monitor evolving OHS legislation and proactively update organisational compliance frameworks to reflect regulatory change
Course Modules
Module 1: Foundations of Occupational Health and Safety Law
- The historical development of OHS legislation and its social context
- Sources of law: statutes, regulations, codes of practice, and common law duties
- Legislative hierarchy: national law, regional frameworks, and ILO conventions
- Key definitions: employer, employee, workplace, hazard, risk, and competent person
- Duties of care owed by employers, employees, and third parties
- Consequences of non-compliance: criminal liability, civil liability, and regulatory sanctions
Module 2: Major OHS Legislation and Regulatory Frameworks
- Overview of core occupational health and safety Acts across key jurisdictions
- Industry-specific regulations: construction, mining, healthcare, manufacturing, and hospitality
- The role and powers of national OHS regulatory authorities and labour inspectorates
- Notifiable work, licensed activities, and permit-to-work regimes under statute
- Understanding and using official codes of practice and guidance documents
- Mapping applicable legislation to your organisation's specific operations and risks
Module 3: ISO 45001 and International OHS Management Standards
- Structure and intent of ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems
- Alignment between ISO 45001 and national legal requirements
- The Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle as the backbone of OHS management
- Leadership, worker participation, and consultation obligations under the standard
- Documentation requirements and the role of records in demonstrating legal compliance
- Certification pathways, surveillance audits, and maintaining continual improvement
Module 4: Workplace Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
- Hazard identification methodologies: walk-through surveys, job safety analysis, and HAZOP
- Legal requirements for risk assessment: content, frequency, and competency obligations
- Risk evaluation matrices and quantitative versus qualitative assessment approaches
- Hierarchy of controls: elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and PPE
- Specific risk assessment requirements: manual handling, hazardous substances, and working at height
- Documenting risk assessments to satisfy regulatory scrutiny and audit requirements
Module 5: Health and Safety Policy Development and Governance
- Statutory requirements for a written health and safety policy
- Structure of an effective policy: statement of intent, organisation, and arrangements
- Assigning roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities across management levels
- Integrating OHS policy into broader corporate governance and ESG frameworks
- Communicating the policy to employees, contractors, and visitors
- Reviewing and updating the policy to reflect legal changes and organisational developments
Module 6: Safe Systems of Work and Emergency Preparedness
- Legal basis and design principles of safe systems of work and safe work instructions
- Permit-to-work systems: purpose, components, and legal obligations in high-risk environments
- Emergency planning requirements under OHS legislation: fire, chemical release, and medical emergencies
- Employee training and drill obligations for emergency response procedures
- First aid requirements under law: numbers, qualifications, and facilities
- Contractor management: legal obligations when engaging third-party workers on site
Module 7: Incident Reporting, Investigation, and Statutory Notification
- Legal definitions of accidents, dangerous occurrences, near-misses, and occupational diseases
- Statutory notification timelines and reporting forms to regulatory authorities
- Internal incident reporting systems: design, roles, and cultural enablers
- Root-cause analysis techniques: Five Whys, fishbone diagrams, and fault tree analysis
- Coroner's inquest and criminal investigation processes following fatal workplace incidents
- Using incident data to drive legal compliance improvements and prevent recurrence
Module 8: OHS Compliance Auditing and Inspection Management
- Distinction between internal audits, external audits, and regulatory inspections
- Planning and scoping an internal OHS compliance audit programme
- Developing audit checklists aligned with statutory requirements and ISO 45001 clauses
- Conduct of an audit: opening meeting, evidence gathering, observation, and interviewing
- Classifying non-conformances and drafting audit findings and corrective action plans
- Managing regulatory inspector visits: rights, obligations, and responding to improvement or prohibition notices
Module 9: Occupational Health, Wellbeing, and Special Populations
- Legal obligations regarding occupational health surveillance and medical monitoring
- Management of occupational diseases: recognition, notification, and prevention requirements
- Protection of vulnerable workers: pregnant employees, young persons, and workers with disabilities
- Mental health and psychosocial risk: emerging legal obligations and employer duties of care
- Substance abuse policies and their intersection with health and safety law
- Return-to-work programmes: legal frameworks, reasonable adjustments, and rehabilitation obligations
Module 10: Building a Sustainable OHS Compliance Culture
- The relationship between organisational culture, safety leadership, and legal compliance outcomes
- Behavioural safety programmes and their role in sustaining legal compliance beyond enforcement
- Employee consultation and participation: legal requirements and practical engagement strategies
- Performance measurement: leading and lagging indicators for OHS compliance
- Communicating OHS performance to boards, regulators, and external stakeholders
- Personal action planning: translating legal knowledge and course learning into lasting workplace change
Requirements & Prerequisites
Participants should have at least one year of professional experience in a role with health, safety, operational, or compliance responsibilities. A basic familiarity with workplace safety concepts is recommended, though formal OHS qualifications are not required. Delegates are encouraged to bring copies of their organisation's existing safety policies or procedures to enrich case-study discussions.
Training Methodology
- Structured legal analysis sessions where participants dissect key statutory provisions and map obligations to their own organisational roles
- Scenario-based compliance simulations in which delegate teams must respond to a regulatory inspection, enforcement notice, or high-profile workplace incident
- Guided risk assessment workshops using live workplace scenarios drawn from manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and office environments
- Case study analysis of landmark OHS enforcement actions and court judgements from African and international jurisdictions
- Practical policy drafting exercises — participants develop or revise a real health and safety policy or safe work procedure during the course
- Audit role-plays where delegates alternate between the roles of internal auditor and auditee, applying compliance checklists against simulated workplaces
- Incident investigation practicals using structured root-cause analysis tools such as the Five Whys and fishbone diagrams applied to realistic accident scenarios
- Group debate and discussion on ethical dilemmas at the intersection of cost, productivity, and legal safety obligations
- Peer review of participants' draft compliance documents with structured feedback guided by the facilitator
- Personal action planning sessions at the close of each day to help delegates translate learning into immediate workplace improvements
Organisational Benefits
- Reduced exposure to regulatory fines, enforcement actions, and litigation through demonstrably compliant safety practices
- Lower rates of workplace accidents, injuries, and occupational illness, resulting in reduced absenteeism and insurance costs
- Strengthened organisational culture of safety accountability at every level of management
- Improved readiness for regulatory inspections, third-party audits, and client due-diligence assessments
- Clearer assignment of legal duties across roles, reducing ambiguity and closing compliance gaps
- Enhanced ability to attract and retain talent in an era where employee well-being is a top organisational priority
- Greater confidence among senior leadership in managing OHS governance and board-level reporting
- Streamlined incident investigation and reporting processes that meet statutory timelines and documentation standards
- Aligned internal safety systems with internationally recognised frameworks such as ISO 45001, boosting credibility with global partners
- Proactive identification of emerging legal risks, enabling the organisation to adapt before regulatory changes create compliance failures
Where Is Health and Safety Laws and Compliance Training Offered?
This course runs in-person across: Abuja, Nairobi, Kigali, Riyadh, Arusha, Naivasha, Zanzibar, Dubai, Pretoria, Kisumu, Addis Ababa, Nakuru, Accra, Cape Town, Mombasa, Lagos, Kampala, Dar es Salaam, Johannesburg, plus Live Virtual (online) cohorts. Browse live dates for your city below.
Upcoming Schedules
| Location | Format | Dates | Price |
|---|
| Abuja, Nigeria |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,800 |
| Nairobi, Kenya |
In-Person |
5 Oct 2026 – 9 Oct 2026 |
KES 105,000 |
| Kigali, Rwanda |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 1,900 |
| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
In-Person |
12 Oct 2026 – 16 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,500 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
17 Oct 2026 – 8 Nov 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Arusha, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,100 |
| Naivasha, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 115,000 |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,500 |
| Dubai, United Arab Emirates |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 4,100 |
| Pretoria, South Africa |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,300 |
| Kisumu, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Live Virtual |
Online |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 80,000 |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 2,400 |
| Nakuru, Kenya |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
KES 120,000 |
| Accra, Ghana |
In-Person |
19 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 |
USD 3,800 |
+234 more dates — view live schedule →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a formal health and safety qualification to attend this course?
No formal OHS qualification is required. The course is designed for professionals with at least one year of workplace experience in safety, operations, HR, compliance, or related roles. Delegates with existing OHS qualifications will also benefit from the legal compliance focus and practical tools covered throughout the programme.
Will the course cover the health and safety laws of my specific country?
The programme is structured around internationally recognised frameworks — including ISO 45001 and ILO conventions — that are broadly applicable across jurisdictions. Facilitators draw on examples and legislation from multiple African and Middle Eastern countries, and participants are actively encouraged to apply the learning to the specific legislation governing their own workplaces through the practical exercises and action planning sessions.
Will I receive a certificate upon completion?
Yes. All delegates who attend and complete the five-day programme will receive a TrainingComplex Certificate of Completion in Health and Safety Laws and Compliance Training, which can be used for professional development records and presented to regulatory bodies or clients as evidence of competency development.
How practical is the course — is it mostly theory or hands-on?
The programme is highly practical. Approximately 60% of contact time is dedicated to applied activities including risk assessment workshops, policy drafting exercises, audit role-plays, incident investigation practicals, and compliance simulations. Delegates are encouraged to bring their own organisational safety documents to work on during the course.
Can this course be delivered in-house for our entire safety team?
Absolutely. TrainingComplex offers customised in-house delivery of this programme for organisations wishing to train a group of staff together. In-house delivery allows the content and case studies to be tailored specifically to your industry, jurisdiction, and internal policies, providing even greater practical relevance for your team.
