Occupational Safety and Health in the Workplace
Build a practical safety and health system for Zimbabwean workplaces: the law and the OSH Bill, risk assessment, common hazards, occupational health, NSSA reporting and performance.
Enrol in this Course
- 📦 5 modules
- 📹 20 lessons
- 📝 5 quizzes
- 🎓 Certificate on completion
- ♾ Learn at your own pace, online
Every serious workplace accident has a history: a hazard that was noticed but not fixed, a procedure that was skipped, a warning that was not acted on. Occupational safety and health (OSH) is about breaking that chain before someone is hurt.
This course gives you the knowledge to build and run a practical safety and health system in a Zimbabwean workplace. It is designed for managers, supervisors, HR and SHE (safety, health and environment) officers, safety representatives and business owners, in any sector, from offices to factories, farms and construction sites. The first lesson of each module covers the basics. The rest covers the risk assessment, controls, investigations and management practice that experienced practitioners use.
What you will learn
- How Zimbabwe’s OSH law works: the Constitution, the Labour Act, the Factories and Works Act, NSSA’s accident prevention and compensation scheme, and the pending Occupational Safety and Health Bill
- How to identify hazards, assess risk and apply the hierarchy of controls
- How to manage common hazards: fire, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, work at height and manual handling
- How to protect workers’ health, including occupational disease, psychosocial risk, and HIV and TB in the workplace
- How to report and investigate incidents, support compensation claims, and measure safety performance
How the course works
There are five modules, each with four lessons and a short quiz. You need 70% on each quiz to complete the course and earn your certificate.
Important
This course reflects the law and practice as at October 2026. Zimbabwe’s Occupational Safety and Health Bill (H.B. 6 of 2025) was before Parliament at the time of writing. When it becomes law, it will replace the Factories and Works Act and the Pneumoconiosis Act. Check the current status, and the specific regulations for your sector, such as mining.
About figures in this course
Rates, thresholds, time limits and penalties are shown as examples of the law as at 2026, not fixed rules, and are expected to change. Lessons focus on principles and procedures, worked examples are labelled as 2026 figures for illustration, and the figures are collected in one Course reference table at the end of the final lesson. Always confirm the current position through official channels such as NSSA, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, the Government Gazette or a qualified OSH practitioner.
Course Curriculum
5 modules · 20 lessons · 5 quizzes
Module 1: OSH Foundations and the Legal Framework
- 1.1 Why Safety and Health Matter (Start Here)
- 1.2 Zimbabwe's OSH Legal Framework
- 1.3 Duties of Employers, Workers and Others
- 1.4 OSH Management Systems and Leadership
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Module 1 Quiz Enrol to take
Module 2: Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control
- 2.1 Recognising Hazards (Start Here)
- 2.2 Carrying Out a Risk Assessment
- 2.3 The Hierarchy of Controls
- 2.4 Safe Systems of Work, Permits and Lockout
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Module 2 Quiz Enrol to take
Module 3: Managing Common Workplace Hazards
- 3.1 General Workplace and Office Safety (Start Here)
- 3.2 Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness
- 3.3 Hazardous Chemicals
- 3.4 Machinery, Vehicles, Work at Height and Manual Handling
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Module 3 Quiz Enrol to take
Module 4: Occupational Health and Wellbeing
- 4.1 Occupational Health and Disease (Start Here)
- 4.2 Psychosocial Risks, Stress and Harassment
- 4.3 HIV, TB and Health in the Workplace
- 4.4 Protecting Vulnerable Workers
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Module 4 Quiz Enrol to take
Module 5: Incidents, Compensation and Safety Performance
- 5.1 Incident Reporting to NSSA (Start Here)
- 5.2 Investigating Incidents and Finding Root Causes
- 5.3 Workers' Compensation under the APWCS
- 5.4 Safety Committees, Training and Measuring Performance
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Module 5 Quiz Enrol to take