themselves which of the directors will be considered as the person with the most authority or the person with the final say. The last mentioned person will be ''responsible for the overall management and control of the business of such body corporate or enterprise'' and deemed to be the CEO.

In the case of a company without a board of directors or a close corporation, the owner of such company or corporation will be deemed to be the CEO. In the case of the State, the head of a department (Director General) is regarded as the CEO.  There can only be one CEO, the act appoints this person as the ''accountable person''  (responsible & liable) for health and safety.

While the consequences of non-compliance are dire and expensive, with a very real risk of jail-time, the fact is, the law also allow to ensure employees and other persons on your premises comply, and if done right, makes compliance simple, cheap and effective.

The requirement for this is that the Health & Safety in your organisation has to be: industry specific, location specific, risk specific, employee specific, equipment specific, installation specific, while practical, reasonable and feasible.

When done right, you may expect Health & Safety Compliance to increase performance, cut costs and losses, and simplify HR management. In short, a proper OHS system will make money, not cost money. If yours do not contribute to your bottomline - you are not compliant!

In South Africa, our Occupational Health + Safety (OHS) issues are managed and enforced by legislation. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) create a minimum legislated standard which has to be complied with. Individual responsibilities starts with the Chief Executive Officer of every organisation. Not only where the organisation has employees - EVERY organisation.

Including, but not limited to: Body Corporates (Sectional Title Entities & Home Owner Associations), Small Business Owners, Landlords of Residential and  Commercial  /  Industrial properties, Professional Practices (Attorneys, Medical Doctors, Dentists, Veterinarians etc), Hospitals, Restaurants and  Shops, Shopping Centers, Filling Stations and Farms, B&B's, Guest Farms and Hotels,  International Corporate Entities with offices in South Africa, Schools and other Educational Centers (Private or State), Individuals Working for themselves, with or without staff, Households where Domestic Workers and/or Gardners are employed, (part of full-time), to name but a few.

Section 1 of the OHS Act defines the CEO as:

 ''In relation to a body corporate or an enterprise conducted by the state, means the person who is responsible for the overall management and control of the business of such body corporate or enterprise''. In the case of a company with a board of directors, the board has to decide amongst