Occupational hygiene is the discipline of anticipating, recognising, evaluating, and controlling workplace health hazards. Its primary objective is to protect employee health and well-being by monitoring exposure to chemical stressors (such as asbestos, toxic gases, vapors, welding fumes, airborne dusts, mists, and solvents), physical stressors (such as noise, illumination, vibration, thermal extremes, and radiation), ineffective ventilation systems, and ergonomic hazards before they lead to occupational illnesses or long-term diseases.

AIA stands for Approved Inspection Authority. An AIA is an independent entity accredited by SANAS (South African National Accreditation System) under ISO/IEC 17020 and officially registered/approved by the Department of Employment and Labour (DoEL). Using a registered AIA ensures that your workplace monitoring and risk assessments are legally compliant, methodologically accurate, and recognised by inspectors.

Under Section 8 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993), employers are legally obligated to provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risk to the health of employees. Specific regulations under the Act – such as the Noise Exposure Regulations, Hazardous Chemical Agents (HCA) Regulations, Physical Agents Regulations, Asbestos Abatement Regulations, and Ergonomics Regulations – explicitly mandate that employers assess and quantitatively monitor workplace health hazards.

Yes, if your operations expose employees to noise, vibration, dust, fumes, chemicals, temperature extremes, poor lighting, indoor air quality risks, or ergonomic strain. Conducting a survey is not only a regulatory mandate, it protects your workforce from occupational diseases, reduces sick leave and liability risks, and demonstrates corporate commitment to safety compliance

Yes, if your operation falls under the definition of a “mine” in terms of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA). Under the Act, any entity engaging in prospecting, extraction, or processing of minerals must monitor environmental health hazards (such as dust, noise, and airborne pollutants) to protect worker safety and ensure statutory compliance.

Regardless of the size, environment, or complexity of your facility, we service any workplace across a comprehensive range of industrial, commercial, and public sectors, including:

• • Manufacturing & Heavy Industry
  • Mining, Minerals & Energy
  • Construction, Civil Engineering & Demolition
  • Pharmaceutical, Healthcare & Laboratories
  • Food & Beverage Processing
  • Logistics, Warehousing & Transport
  • Commercial Offices, Educational & Public Facilities
  • Agriculture, Forestry & Agrochemicals
  • Petrochemical, Oil & Gas
  • Textile, Paper & Pulp Manufacturing
  • Paints, Coatings, Resins & Plastics
  • Utilities, Power Generation & Water Treatment
  • Hospitality, Catering & Commercial Laundries
  • Municipalities, Waste Management & Recycling

Survey frequencies depend on the specific environmental stressors and applicable regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Act 85 of 1993). Employers are legally required to perform an initial baseline assessment and review their physical and chemical risk exposure profiles at intervals not exceeding 24 months.

The specific legal and monitoring frequencies include:

• Physical Agents Regulations & Noise Exposure Regulations:
  • Noise Exposure: Personal dosimetry and noise zone mapping are required at least every 24 months.
  • Illumination (Lighting): Daytime, night-time, and emergency lighting surveys (evaluated against SANS 10114 standards) must be reassessed at least every 24 months.
  • Vibration (Whole-Body & Hand-Arm): Technical vibration monitoring and risk reviews are required every 24 months (or when new machinery/tools are acquired).
  • Thermal Stress (Heat & Cold): Environmental monitoring must be conducted at least every 24 months, or seasonally when work conditions change.
• Hazardous Chemical Agents (HCA):
  • General HCAs: Personal and area exposure monitoring must be conducted at least every 24 months.
  • Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS): Due to strict Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) and severe health risks (silicosis), silica requires baseline assessments and routine air monitoring – often conducted annually (every 12 months) or semi-annually if initial exposure levels approach or exceed action limits.
• Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality:
  • Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV): Extraction systems and LEV hoods must undergo quantitative airflow testing annually (every 12 months) or whenever modified.
  • General Ventilation & IAQ: Indoor air assessments should be conducted at least every 24 months.
• Asbestos Abatement Regulations (2020):
  • Asbestos Inventory & Risk Assessment: Must be reviewed by a competent person at least every 24 months (and formally re-assessed by an AIA every 6 years).
  • Air Monitoring: Airborne fiber sampling is required continuously during any asbestos removal or repair projects, followed by mandatory clearance air sampling.
• Ergonomics Regulations (2019):
  • Ergonomic Risk Assessments: Must be conducted prior to new work commencing and formally reviewed at least every 24 months.

Note: A survey or risk assessment must always be conducted sooner than the 24-month cycle if there are significant changes to processes, raw materials, machinery, facility layout, or following an occupational disease diagnosis or employee health complaint

Your mine’s classification category – and consequently how often sampling must occur – is determined by your occupational hygiene risk assessment and historical sampling results.

The Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) defines specific risk categories (e.g., Category A, B, or C) for different environmental stressors. The higher the exposure risk, the higher the monitoring frequency required (ranging from monthly to quarterly sampling). Our team can evaluate your baseline assessments and data to establish your exact category and design an aligned monitoring schedule. 

Because every workplace varies in size, process complexity, and exposure types, monitoring costs are customised. Factors influencing the cost include:

• • The number of sampling points or personal exposure monitors required.
  • The specific laboratory analytical methods required for your chemical/biological samples.
  • The duration of the survey and size of the facility.
  • Facility location, which impacts travel time and associated transit costs.
  • Operating hours (standard vs. 24-hour), since conducting both daytime and overnight measurements requires extended technical coverage.

Generally, reports are issued within 30 days of completing the survey. Please note that while we strive to deliver reports as quickly as possible, exact completion dates may occasionally depend on third-party factors outside our control, such as specialised laboratory chemical analyses.

We strongly recommend contacting us to schedule your survey as soon as you receive your notice. Our calendar often books up weeks in advance, so reaching out right away ensures we can accommodate your required timeframe before your 60-day deadline expires.