Back to Frameworks
Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
Uganda
vAct 9 of 2006 (The Occupational Safety and Health Act, 2006), assented to in 2006, as passed; commencement by ministerial statutory instrument
5 domains
35 controls
Uganda's principal workplace safety statute: employer duties to protect workers and the public, written safety policies, safety representatives, committees and union consultation, pollution monitoring, protective gear, health supervision and medical records, duties to non-employees and of controllers of premises, manufacturers and suppliers, worker duties and the right to leave imminent danger, registration and approval of workplaces, health and welfare facilities, general safety and fire requirements, machinery fencing, hoists, lifting equipment, boilers and receivers, hazardous materials, confined spaces, toxic substances and chemical safety data sheets and labelling, and the General Register.
Verified
Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 is a compliance framework from Uganda with 5 domains and 35 controls. The largest domains are Parts III to VI: General duties of employers, the self-employed, controllers of premises, manufacturers and suppliers, and workers (sections 13 to 39) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (13 controls), Parts IX to XI: General safety, fire preparedness, machinery, plant and equipment (sections 56 to 82) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (8 controls), Parts XII and XIII: Hazardous materials and chemical safety (sections 83 to 98) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (8 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
Maintained by Gerard Blokdyk
Framework summaries on this platform are interpretations grounded in the published source, for educational and compliance planning purposes. They do not reproduce or replace the official standards. Refer to the authoritative source for the definitive text. Framework names and trademarks belong to their respective organisations.
Framework Domains (5)
Parts III to VI: General duties of employers, the self-employed, controllers of premises, manufacturers and suppliers, and workers (sections 13 to 39) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
13 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::13 | Employer's duty to protect workers: all reasonably practicable measures, at the employer's cost, to protect workers and the public from the dangerous aspects of the undertaking and to keep the working environment free from pollution hazards by technical and organisational measures, including safe plant and systems, safe handling of articles and substances, information, instruction, training and supervision suited to the categories of workers, safe workplaces and access and exit, a safe and healthy environment with welfare facilities, correct information on the dangers of substances, and personal protective equipment where necessary |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::14 | Written safety and health policy for workplaces with at least twenty workers: prepared and revised as appropriate following the Schedule 2 guidelines, with arrangements for carrying it out and brought to the notice of all employees |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::15-16 | Safety representatives and committees: consult safety representatives in making and sustaining arrangements for employer-worker cooperation on safety and health; on request of the representatives establish a safety committee, under regulations, for a workplace with at least twenty workers, on which the representatives sit and which reviews the measures taken |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::17 | Consultation with workers' organisations on their role in implementing the Act's measures and close collaboration at all levels, with an employer and a worker representative accompanying inspectors and authorised persons unless that would prejudice their work |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::18 | Monitoring and control of dangerous substances released to the environment: where chemicals or dangerous substances are handled in major quantities and may become airborne or reach rivers, lakes or soil, equipment and arrangements to monitor air, soil and water pollution, with records kept and available to an inspector |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::19 | Protective gear where air pollution and chemical substances exceed the exposure limits set by an occupational hygienist: adequate and suitable protective clothing and equipment provided and its use ensured whenever required |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::20 | Alternative suitable employment where continued exposure to dangerous emissions or harmful substances and agents is certified medically inadvisable |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::21-22 | Health supervision and medical records: for workers exposed or liable to exposure to occupational hazards from pollution and harmful agents, pre-assignment medical examinations, periodic examinations during exposed employment, biological monitoring to control exposure and supervise health, and regular post-assignment examinations; an occupational health service where the Commissioner prescribes; workers informed of the health hazards of their work; and medical examination records kept in the prescribed format and period, including exposure information, and available for epidemiological research |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::23-24 | Duties to persons other than employees: employers and self-employed persons conduct undertakings so that people outside their employment who may be affected are not exposed to risks to health and safety, and employers active simultaneously at one workplace collaborate to comply with the prescribed measures without diluting each one's responsibility for its own workers |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::25 | Display of guide safety precautions and of information on how the undertaking is conducted that may affect anyone's health or safety, for every person affected, worker or not |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::26-27 | Duties of persons with control of premises: safe means of access and exit and reasonable measures to keep the premises and the plant and substances in them safe and without health risk, falling on whoever holds the maintenance, repair or safety obligation under a contract or tenancy, and use of the best practicable means to prevent emissions of toxic or offensive substances into the atmosphere and render any emissions harmless |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::28-34 | Duties of designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and transporters: articles and chemical substances for use at work designed, constructed or formulated to be safe when properly used, with the necessary testing and examination, adequate and clear information on intended use, testing and safe conditions, joint and several liability of supplier and receiver, the effective supplier bearing the duty in financed sales, research by designers and manufacturers to find and remove risks, reliance on earlier approved tests, importers obtaining toxicity information where prescribed, and prior authorisation for highly toxic chemicals |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::35-39 | Duties and rights of workers: reasonable care for themselves and others and cooperation with the employer's duties, representatives' cooperation in risk elimination, immediate reporting of imminent or serious danger to a supervisor with no return to the danger until remedied, the right to move away from imminent and serious danger without punishment where the Commissioner confirms it, no penalties levied on workers for anything done or provided under the Act, and the offence of intentional or reckless interference with safety provisions |
Parts IX to XI: General safety, fire preparedness, machinery, plant and equipment (sections 56 to 82) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
8 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::56 | General safety requirements: safe access to every place of work; sound, unobstructed, non-slip floors, steps, passages and gangways; handrails and guardrails on staircases; fenced floor openings; sound ladders and trestles; clear space at moving machines; fencing where a person may fall more than one metre; fenced teagle openings with handholds; excavations over two metres and liquid-filled tanks and pits covered or fenced; and safe stacking and destacking under a responsible person with control of highly flammable, explosive or toxic stored goods |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::57-60 | Fire preparedness: means of escape sized to the people present, maintained and unobstructed, clear passageways in every room, exit doors never locked against opening from inside and opening outwards in newer workplaces, red-lettered marking of emergency exits, workers familiar with escape routes and the fire routine, adequate and accessible fire extinguishing means, highly inflammable stocks kept in a fire-resistant store or safe place outside occupied buildings away from escape routes, and the occupier's responsibility for fire preparedness and response |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::61-63 | Fencing of dangerous machinery and control of power: flywheels and moving parts of prime movers, water wheel and turbine races, generator, motor and converter parts, transmission machinery and every dangerous part of other machinery securely fenced unless safe by position or construction, through fixed or interlocked guards or devices that prevent contact or stop the machine, projecting lathe stock-bars fenced, fencing substantial and kept in position while parts move; efficient means to cut off power promptly in every room, starting and stopping appliances within the operator's reach, and idle belts kept off revolving shafts |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::64-68 | Driving belts, unfenced machinery, encasing and self-acting machines: striking gear to move belts between fast and loose pulleys without creep-back, the limited allowance for examination and lubrication of moving parts by trained and instructed persons with a fixed or footed ladder, set-screws, bolts and keys on revolving parts sunk or guarded and gearing encased on power-driven machines (with an offence for selling or hiring non-compliant machines), and traversing parts of self-acting machines kept at least five centimetres from fixed structures with workers kept out of the traverse space |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::69-70 | Hoists and lifts: notice to the Commissioner within a month of a new hoist or lift in non-workplace premises, sound construction and maintenance, thorough examination at least every six months by an authorised person with the report entered in the General Register within fourteen days, enclosed hoistways with interlocked gates, protection against trapping, the marked maximum working load never exceeded, over-run devices, cage gates and dual suspension with safety devices for passenger hoists, fire-resisting enclosure of hoistways through two or more floors with a vent or frangible top, and gates of non-powered hoists kept closed except at landings |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::71-75 | Lifting gear, appliances and machines: sound, maintained lifting gear tested and certified for loads over fifty kilograms, annealed at least every fourteen months (six months for molten slag chains) unless exempt, never overloaded except for testing; lifting appliances and machines of sound construction, maintained, tested and certified (above one hundred kilograms), with brakes or safety devices on cranes, crabs and forklifts, pawls on hand winches, marked safe working loads and radius indicators on jib cranes, thorough examination by an authorised person within fourteen months and entry in the register, secure support, sound rails and tracks, six-metre clearance and warnings for overhead travelling cranes, trained competent operators over eighteen, secured loads, and a Schedule 6 register of lifting gear, appliances and machines |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::76-77 | Steam boilers: sound construction and maintenance; a safety valve that cannot be isolated, stop valve, pressure gauge marked with the maximum permissible working pressure, guarded water gauge, distinctive number plate, test gauge attachment and fusible plug or low-water alarm; instructed attendants holding and displaying the Commissioner's certificate of competence; isolation before entering a boiler in a range; cooled furnaces and flues before work; thorough examination by an authorised person every fourteen months (extendable to twenty-four) and after extensive repairs, cold and under steam, with competent-person inspection on first steaming, signed reports within twenty-eight days, certificates for new boilers and examination before first use of used boilers, and operation only under the report's conditions |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::78-82 | Steam receivers, steam containers, air receivers and gas plants: sound construction and maintenance; receivers unable to withstand the supply pressure fitted with reducing and safety valves or automatic cut-off, pressure gauge, stop valve and number plate; steam receivers examined by an authorised person every twenty-six months with reports in the General Register and certificates before first use; steam container outlets kept open; air receivers marked with the safe working pressure, built for the compressor pressure or fitted with a reducing valve, with gauge, safety valve, drain, manhole and mark, cleaned and examined every twenty-six months (up to four years for solid-drawn receivers, hydraulic test where the interior cannot be examined) with reports and certificates; and gas plants of sound construction subject to the Minister's special rules |
Parts VII and VIII: Registration of workplaces, health and welfare (sections 40 to 55) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
5 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::40-41 | Registration of workplaces: notice to the Commissioner with the Schedule 3 particulars at least one month before occupying or using premises as a workplace (or within a month on taking over premises without changing the work), registration and a Schedule 4 certificate on payment of the fee, renewable every three years, the notice to set up a safety committee within six months, and offences for occupying unregistered premises |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::42-44 | Approval and notification of workplace changes: plans and architectural drawings of a new workplace or alterations submitted to the Commissioner for approval before construction begins, register entries varied by the Commissioner for accuracy, and written notice of the full particulars of mechanical power at least one month before its first use |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::45-47 | Buildings and the working environment: sound construction and repair of any part a worker uses or passes through, weather protection, water-tight roofs, freedom from dampness and drainage of wet floors; workplaces kept clean with daily removal of dirt and refuse, weekly floor cleaning and periodic washing, repainting or whitewashing of walls and ceilings; suitable room temperature, no overcrowding, workrooms at least three metres high, and effective fresh-air circulation with mechanical ventilation that removes odours and contamination |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::48-52 | Lighting, sanitation, water and washing: suitable natural or artificial lighting maintained wherever people work or pass with clean, unobstructed windows and skylights and maintained lamps; sufficient, suitable, clean and lit sanitary conveniences with separate accommodation and approaches for each sex and notices; wholesome drinking water at convenient points; adequate, accessible, clean washing facilities adjacent to the conveniences in new workplaces; and a suitable cloakroom |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::53-55 | Seating, meals and first aid: sufficient suitable seats where workers can sit during work and suitable seats for work that can be done sitting; adequate meal facilities away from work positions with tables and chairs or benches with backrests; a first-aid room or a readily accessible prescribed first-aid box or cupboard, an additional box for every fifty workers above one hundred and fifty, prescribed contents only, in the charge of a responsible and, above a set number of workers, trained person who is available during working hours and named on a conspicuous notice |
Parts XII and XIII: Hazardous materials and chemical safety (sections 83 to 98) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
8 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::83-84 | Explosive dust, hot work on vessels and electrical apparatus: enclosure of dust-producing plant, removal of escaped dust and exclusion of ignition sources, chokes, baffles and vents on plant not built to withstand an explosion, no welding, brazing, soldering or heat cutting on plant, tanks or vessels that hold or held explosive or inflammable substances until the substance and fumes are removed or made safe and no refilling until the metal has cooled, and electrical apparatus, fittings and conductors adequate for their work and constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained to prevent danger |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::85-86 | Toxic materials and drenching facilities: toxic materials used only where non-toxic alternatives are not reasonably practicable, exposed numbers minimised and antidotes kept where recognised, work with toxic materials only under an efficient exhaust draught that prevents dangerous escape, no eating, drinking or smoking where ingestion is a risk, washing facilities near the point of use, and on the Commissioner's notice additional bathing facilities, periodic medical examinations and protective clothing; where dangerous or corrosive liquids are used, readily accessible means of drenching with water and clearly signed eye-flushing facilities |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::87-88 | Confined spaces and asphyxiant gases: adequate means of exit, entry only after fumes are removed and a test shows the space is free of dangerous fumes with a belt and rope held from outside, or with suitable breathing apparatus, assured air supply, trained rescuers with breathing and reviving apparatus readily available, manholes of the prescribed minimum dimensions; and where ammonia, chlorine, carbon dioxide or other asphyxiant or irritant gases may be present, relocation, ventilation or other measures to remove the danger and approved breathing apparatus kept ready for rescue and making premises safe |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::89-90 | Heavy loads and radiation: no worker required to lift, carry or move a load heavy enough to be likely to injure them; effective practicable measures to restrict exposure to ionising radiation, exposure to ionising radiation, lasers, ultraviolet, infrared and other electromagnetic radiation and to vibration including ultrasonic vibration kept to no more than reasonably necessary with everything practicable done to minimise it |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::91-92 | Personal protective equipment and eye protection: where a process is likely to cause bodily injury that other means cannot prevent, suitable personal protective equipment and clothing for every worker at risk, supplied and maintained free of charge with instructions for use; goggles or effective screens for the Schedule 8 processes; and screening against electric arc flash for people other than the welders |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::95 | General precautions in handling chemicals: administrative and technical measures to keep contamination of the work environment to the lowest possible level or at least within the Commissioner's exposure limits, substitution by harmless or less harmful substances, isolation of contaminating operations, enclosed systems for very hazardous substances, automatic or remote processes to avoid direct contact, dangerous operations only by authorised and trained workers with refreshed training, and full hazard awareness and protective equipment for workers who must enter contaminated atmospheres |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::96-97 | Chemical safety data sheets and labelling: manufacturers and importers provide employers with chemical safety data sheets giving identity, supplier, classification, hazards, precautions and emergency procedures, and the employer forwards a copy of each to the Commissioner; the employer ensures packages of hazardous chemicals delivered to the workplace are labelled and accompanied by the data sheet, keeps a register of data sheets at the workplace, and gives copies of the sheets and the register to the workers concerned and their representatives for consultation at any time |
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::98 | Duties of suppliers, manufacturers, importers and distributors: machines, process plant, instruments and vehicles designed and supplied in a suitable condition with the relevant information so that their operation and use contaminate the work environment as little as possible and pose no health hazard during production, maintenance and other activities; all chemicals classified by their toxic, chemical, physical, corrosive, irritant, allergenic, sensitising, carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic and reproductive properties; containers marked for identity and labelled uniformly with legible, durable labels easily understood by workers, UN-system labelling sufficing |
Parts XIV and XV: Offences, penalties, legal proceedings, the General Register and miscellaneous (sections 99 to 121) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006
1 controls
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| uganda-occupational-safety-and-health-act-2006::112-114 | General Register: kept available for inspection at every workplace in the prescribed form, holding the certificate of registration, every other certificate the Commissioner issues for the workplace and the prescribed particulars of every notifiable accident and occupational disease, with extracts sent to an inspector on request, entries admissible against the occupier and missing entries evidence of non-observance, and all registers and records preserved for at least five years after the last entry |
What is Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 and who does it apply to?
Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 is a compliance framework from Uganda with 5 domains and 35 controls. Uganda's principal workplace safety statute: employer duties to protect workers and the public, written safety policies, safety representatives, committees and union consultation, pollution monitoring, protective gear, health supervision and medical records, duties to non-employees and of controllers of premises, manufacturers and suppliers, worker duties and the right to leave imminent danger, registration and approval of workplaces, health and welfare facilities, general safety and fire requirements, machinery fencing, hoists, lifting equipment, boilers and receivers, hazardous materials, confined spaces, toxic substances and chemical safety data sheets and labelling, and the General Register. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 actually require?
Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 has 35 controls organised across 5 domains. The largest domains are Parts III to VI: General duties of employers, the self-employed, controllers of premises, manufacturers and suppliers, and workers (sections 13 to 39) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (13 controls), Parts IX to XI: General safety, fire preparedness, machinery, plant and equipment (sections 56 to 82) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (8 controls), Parts XII and XIII: Hazardous materials and chemical safety (sections 83 to 98) – Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 (8 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 do I already cover?
Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 does not currently have cross-framework mappings in our system. Check back as we continuously expand our mapping database.
How do I implement Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006?
Start your Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about Uganda Occupational Safety and Health Act 2006 requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 35 controls and track your progress.
Start Your Compliance Journey
Create a free account to run self-assessments, get AI advisory, and track your compliance progress across 1,248 frameworks.
Get Started Free →Free forever, no credit card required