Small Business Myths Under the OHS Act (South Africa)
Running a small business is hard enough without drowning in paperwork. Unfortunately, many business owners rely on assumptions about health and safety that simply aren’t true — and those assumptions often surface at the worst possible time: during an inspection, after an incident, or when a claim is rejected.
Let’s clear up some of the most common myths around the Occupational Health and Safety Act — without the legal jargon or scare tactics.
Myth 1: “The OHS Act only applies to big companies”
This is probably the most expensive myth out there.
The OHS Act applies to all employers, regardless of size. One employee, five employees, or fifty — if people work for you, the Act applies.
Small businesses are not exempt. In fact, smaller workplaces are often more exposed because they rely on informal processes, generic templates, or outdated documents. The reality is the law scales by risk, not by company size.
Myth 2: “I’m just an office — there are no real hazards”
Offices are considered lower risk, not no risk.
Common office hazards include:
Fire and evacuation risks
Poor ergonomics
Electrical and equipment hazards
Slips, trips, and falls
Stress and fatigue-related risks
These are still hazards — and they still need to be identified and managed appropriately. Low-risk environments still require documented risk assessments and emergency procedures — just proportionate ones.
Myth 3: “If nothing has gone wrong, we’re compliant”
Past luck is not compliance.
The OHS Act is preventative, not reactive. Inspectors and insurers don’t ask whether you’ve had an incident — they ask whether you’ve taken reasonable steps to prevent one.
When something does go wrong, the first question is always:
“What controls were in place before the incident?”
Compliance is about what you’ve planned for — not what you’ve survived so far.
Myth 4: “Downloaded templates are good enough”
Templates aren’t illegal.
Using them without understanding or adapting them is where the problem starts.
Generic documents often:
Don’t match your actual workplace
Reference machinery or hazards you don’t have
Miss hazards you do have
Fail to meet inspector expectations
They look compliant — until someone who knows what they’re looking at reads them. Documentation must reflect your workplace, not the internet’s best guess.
Myth 5: “Compliance is just paperwork”
Paperwork is only the evidence.
Real compliance is about:
Identifying hazards
Implementing practical controls
Assigning responsibilities
Training where required
Reviewing and updating when things change
Documents without implementation don’t protect employees — or employers. If it can’t be applied in the real world, it won’t protect you in the legal one.
Myth 6: “Inspectors won’t bother with small businesses”
Inspections aren’t reserved for factories and construction sites.
They happen because of:
Complaints
Incidents
Sector focus campaigns
Random selection
Small businesses are regularly inspected — and often caught off-guard because they assumed they wouldn’t be. Being small doesn’t make you invisible.
The bottom line
The OHS Act isn’t designed to punish small businesses — it’s designed to ensure people go home safely at the end of the day. But misunderstanding your obligations can leave you exposed legally, financially, and reputationally.
Good compliance isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things, for your specific workplace.
Need clarity without the overwhelm?
At Signature Safety, we help businesses understand what actually applies to them — no overkill, no copy-paste compliance, no unnecessary costs. If you’re unsure whether your current safety setup is appropriate, compliant, or defensible, a short professional review can save you a lot of stress later.
Get in touch for tailored, practical compliance support.
