Frequently Asked Questions

The key OSH laws include: The Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2006; The Toxic Chemicals Prohibition and Control Act, 2016; and various OSH Regulations, Guidelines and SOPs.

Specific subsidiary legislation includes SI 9_3 (General Registers), SI 9_8 (Building Operations Safety), SI 9_9 (Engineering Construction), SI 9_10 (Cotton Ginneries), SI 9_11 (Dry Cleaning), SI 9_12 (Electricity), SI 9_13 (Metal Roofs), SI 9_14 (Prescribed Forms), SI 9_15 (Steam Boilers), SI 9_16 (Gas Rules), SI 9_17 to SI 9_28 (various exemptions and special rules).

OSH Regulations are subsidiary legislation developed under the OSH Act and are legally binding.

OSH Guidelines are non-enforceable procedures developed to streamline particular work processes.

Standards are technical, ethical or legal specifications that are repeatable, harmonised, agreed and documented — precise criteria designed to be used consistently as a rule, guideline, or definition.

OSH regulations and guidelines can be accessed on the MGLSD Website, on various legal online platforms, in libraries or bookshops with legal documentation, and at the MGLSD offices on Lumumba Avenue, Kampala.

All three are aspects of employment under the Directorate of Labour, Employment & Occupational Safety & Health:

• Labour, Industrial Relations & Productivity: handles employer-employee relations.
• Employment Services: handles placement of employees into employment locally and abroad.
• Occupational Safety & Health: handles safety and health within the workplace to prevent accidents and injuries.

A safety and health policy is a documented statement detailing the goals, responsibilities and arrangements for safety and health at the workplace, based on the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It is a legal obligation under the OSH Act for every employer to prepare and regularly review this policy.

Risk Assessment refers to the process of Identifying hazards or risks that may cause harm, then analysing and evaluating the risks associated with that hazard. The process is documented in a Risk Assessment Management Plan or Safe Work Method Statement. Every person undertaking any activity at the workplace should carry out some form of risk assessment.

An Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan is a documented set of procedures to anticipate and deal with major emergencies — sudden or unexpected natural or human-induced events whose occurrence can be predicted with some degree of certainty. Its aim is to avoid severe losses such as multiple casualties, damage to infrastructure, major environmental repercussions and possible financial collapse of an enterprise.

The OSH Department undertakes: Setting and enforcing national OSH Policies and Standards; Workplace Inspections; Approval of workplace plans; Statutory examinations and certification of plant/equipment; OSH audits; Investigation of occupational accidents and diseases; OSH Training and sensitisation; Conducting OSH research; and Monitoring activities of workplace safety and health committees.

1. Fill the "Application for Registration of Workplace" Form F.11.
2. Submit it physically or electronically to the OSH Department.
3. An assigned inspector verifies information via document review or physical inspection.
4. Assessment is made via the URA web portal and a Non-Tax Revenue fee is levied.
5. Pay the fee at any bank (cash, cheque, or EFT).
6. Certificate is processed. The whole process should not take more than two weeks.

OSH Plan approval is undertaken by the OSH Department for structures intended for use as workplaces, focusing on welfare, hygiene, health and safety. Local government plan approval applies to all structures and focuses on architectural, structural, electrical and mechanical aspects.

Important: Architectural and building plans of workplaces must be submitted to the OSH Department prior to submission to the respective local government.

OSH Workplace Registration applies to physical workplaces and focuses on work processes. A physical presence at a specific location is required.

URSB Company Registration may be done for companies that do not exist physically and focuses on the company's legal status.

Yes. All permits issued by the OSH Department are paid for, based on the Statutory Instrument No. 87 of 2014 (The Occupational Safety and Health Plant Examination and Workplace Registration Fees Regulation). The fee varies based on the type of certificate, the workplace category, and the project value for plan approvals. Fees can be viewed on the URA web portal.

Accident investigation is a multi-disciplinary function undertaken by the OSH Department in collaboration with Uganda Police (which secures the scene and ensures justice) and the Forensics unit (which uses scientific methods to analyse evidence). The OSH Department uses witness accounts, visual and documentary evidence to deduce immediate and root causes of workplace accidents, so as to prevent recurrence.

The OSH Department issues three kinds of permits:

1. OSH Workplace Registration Certificate
2. Statutory Plant Examination Certificates
3. OSH Plan Approval Form

The number of permits may change based on new regulations developed for specific work processes.

The Certificate is currently valid for three (3) years. This duration may change based on legal review of existing OSH legislation.

For the employer/client: Guidance on legal requirements; establishes contact with OSHD for technical support; provision of basic documentation such as the General Register.

For Government: Better planning based on a credible database, enabling more efficient service delivery and OSH enforcement.

Routine statutory examination periods after initial installation:

• Hoists and Lifts (S.69): At least once every 6 months
• Lifting Gear, Appliances or Machines (S.71,72,75): At least once every 14 months
• Steam Boilers or Vessels (S.76): At least once every 14 months
• Steam, Air or Gas Receivers (S.78,80): At least once every 26 months

Plant inspection, servicing or maintenance may be done by competent private technical persons. However, Statutory Plant examination and certification can only be done by gazetted, authorized government personnel / inspectors.

Statutory Plant refers to specific work equipment which, when exposed to conditions causing deterioration, are liable to result in dangerous conditions and must be inspected at suitable intervals by authorized government personnel. Examples include: Pressure vessels, Lifting appliances, equipment or machines, Power presses, Process Machinery, Construction equipment, Electrical systems, and Exhaust/Ventilation systems.