Risk Assessment Software
for South Africa.
Replace static Excel HIRAs with a dynamic, version-controlled risk assessment platform. Baseline, issue-based, and continuous risk assessments — all aligned to OHS Act Section 8, ISO 45001 Clause 6.1, and sector-specific South African regulations.
Three Types of Risk Assessment. One Platform.
South African OHS practice requires different risk assessment types for different contexts. SHEQ24 manages all three within a single, integrated system.
Baseline HIRA
Comprehensive assessment of all routine workplace activities. Conducted annually or when significant changes occur. Satisfies OHS Act Section 8 and ISO 45001 Clause 6.1.2 requirements.
Issue-Based HIRA
Task-specific assessment for non-routine work, maintenance, construction, and special projects. Must be completed before work commences under Construction Regulation 5(1)(k).
Continuous HIRA
Ongoing hazard identification and reporting by frontline workers. Near-miss reports and hazard observations feed directly into the risk register for formal assessment.
Dynamic Risk Management, Not Static Documents
A risk assessment that lives in a lever arch file is not a risk management system. SHEQ24 makes risk assessments living documents that drive real operational change.
Baseline Risk Assessments
Conduct comprehensive baseline HIRAs covering all routine workplace activities. Structured hazard identification, quantitative risk scoring, and hierarchy-of-controls documentation — all version-controlled and audit-ready.
Issue-Based & Task Risk Assessments
Generate task-specific risk assessments for non-routine work, maintenance activities, and construction tasks before work commences. Satisfies Construction Regulation 5(1)(k) and OHS Act General Safety Regulation requirements.
Configurable Risk Matrix
Choose between 3x3 and 5x5 risk matrices. Likelihood and severity ratings automatically calculate residual risk scores, colour-coded to prioritise control measures and focus management attention where it matters most.
Employee Acknowledgement
Require employees to digitally acknowledge that they have read and understood the risk assessment for their work area. Timestamped acknowledgements create the evidence of communication required by the OHS Act.
Mobile Field Assessments
Safety officers conduct risk assessments on mobile devices from the field — even offline. Photographs of hazards are attached directly to the assessment record, providing visual evidence for corrective action.
Control Measure Tracking
Assign control measures to responsible persons with due dates. Track implementation status and verify effectiveness. Overdue controls generate automatic escalation alerts to the Section 16(2) appointee.
Why South African Risk Assessments Fail DoL Inspections
The most common finding during DoL inspections of South African workplaces is not the absence of a risk assessment — it is the presence of a risk assessment that is outdated, incomplete, or not communicated to the employees it covers. A HIRA that was last reviewed three years ago, or that covers activities that have since changed, does not satisfy the OHS Act Section 8 requirement for an employer to identify hazards and evaluate risks.
ISO 45001 Clause 6.1.2 goes further, requiring organisations to determine and assess OH&S risks associated with identified hazards, taking into account the effectiveness of existing controls. This means the risk assessment must reflect the actual control measures in place — not the theoretical controls that were planned when the assessment was first written.
SHEQ24 solves this by making risk assessments dynamic. When a control measure is implemented, it is recorded in the system and the residual risk score is recalculated. When an incident occurs, the relevant risk assessment is automatically flagged for review. When legislation changes, the legal register update triggers a review of affected assessments. The result is a risk register that is always current — and always defensible.
Replace your Excel HIRAs with a dynamic risk register.
Our OHS specialists have helped South African mining, construction, and manufacturing operations build risk management systems that satisfy both DoL inspectors and ISO 45001 certification bodies.
Book a Risk Assessment DemoRelated SHEQ24 Modules
Risk assessment works best as part of an integrated SHEQ platform.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the OHS Act require for risk assessments in South Africa?+
Section 8 of the South African Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 requires every employer to identify hazards and evaluate the risks to health and safety of employees. The General Safety Regulations require that a risk assessment be conducted before any work commences, and that the results be documented and communicated to affected employees. SHEQ24 provides a structured digital HIRA workflow that satisfies these requirements and produces the documented evidence required during DoL inspections.
What is the difference between a baseline, issue-based, and continuous risk assessment?+
A baseline risk assessment covers all routine activities and hazards in a workplace and is typically conducted annually or when significant changes occur. An issue-based risk assessment is conducted for a specific task, project, or non-routine activity before it commences. A continuous risk assessment is an ongoing process where workers identify and report hazards in real time. SHEQ24 supports all three types within a single platform, with each assessment type linked to the relevant OHS Act and ISO 45001 requirements.
How does SHEQ24 calculate risk scores in a HIRA?+
SHEQ24 uses a configurable risk matrix that calculates risk scores based on likelihood and severity ratings. The platform supports both 3x3 and 5x5 risk matrices, and risk scores are automatically colour-coded (green/amber/red) to prioritise control measures. Each identified hazard is linked to the hierarchy of controls — elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and PPE — ensuring that control measures are selected in the correct order of preference as required by ISO 45001 Clause 8.1.2.
Can SHEQ24 manage risk assessments for construction sites under the Construction Regulations?+
Yes. SHEQ24 supports risk assessments under the Construction Regulations 2014, including the mandatory risk assessment that must be included in the Health and Safety Plan submitted to the client before construction commences. The platform supports the identification of construction-specific hazards including working at heights, excavations, scaffolding, and crane operations, and generates the documented risk assessment required by the principal contractor and the client under Regulation 5(1)(k).
Make your risk assessments work for you.
Deploy a dynamic HIRA system that satisfies OHS Act Section 8, ISO 45001 Clause 6.1, and Construction Regulation requirements — and produces the evidence of compliance that DoL inspectors and certification bodies require.