What is the NIOH
The National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) is South Africa’s major centre for occupational health development, training, service support and research. The NIOH was officially established within the National Health Laboratory Service and receives its funding from the Department of Health, which is a major stakeholder in its agenda. The NIOH has become an internationally recognised national resource for developing and supporting effective occupational health services in South Africa.
Duty to Register and Report
In terms of the guideline on the submission of COVID-19 related health data from workplaces to the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), a legal obligation has been placed on all employers to collect data on certain categories of employees and to report that data to the NIOH.
How to Register
Employers can visit the NIOH webpage directly at https://ohss.nioh.ac.za to complete registration and the required employee declaration. Employers should allow 4 days between receipt of the Business ID, upon successful registration, and returning to the TERS portal to lodge a non-sectoral claim.
Submissions Affect Claims
In terms of non-sectoral claims under TERS Phase 2, an employer will have to complete a two-step verification process and registering with the NIOH and receiving your business ID only relates to step one of the process.
In terms of step two of the process, employers will have to enter an employee’s ID number to be verified as having been submitted on the NIOH system. This means that should an employer not be in compliance with its duty to report data on an employee to the NIOH, no non-sectoral claim under Phase 2 of TERS can be finalised.
All employers are encouraged to register with the NIOH and to regard this reporting duty as a high priority within their business.