Uganda Enacts Sweeping New Workplace Safety Laws, Introducing Stiff Penalties for Non-Compliance
KAMPALA – October 7, 2025 – A significant overhaul of Uganda’s workplace safety laws came into force this week, placing new and stringent obligations on all employers. The Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2025 expands the foundational 2006 Act, introducing a stricter, more proactive compliance regime with substantial fines and potential imprisonment for violations.
Legal and HR experts are calling the amendments the most significant evolution in the country’s employment law landscape in nearly two decades, designed to address modern occupational hazards and formalize safety practices across all sectors.
“The 2025 Amendment introduces universal and higher compliance standards, eliminating previous exemptions and placing occupational safety and health at the centre of risk management for all employers in Uganda,” said Augustine Obilil Idoot, a Partner at Kampala Associated Advocates, which issued a detailed analysis of the new law.
Key Changes Employers Must Navigate
The amendments introduce several critical changes that require immediate attention from businesses:
- Universal Application: The law now applies to all workplaces, regardless of the number of employees. The previous threshold, which limited certain requirements to workplaces with at least twenty workers, has been eliminated.
- Licensed Safety Practitioners: A major new requirement is the creation of a registered and licensed profession of “safety and health practitioner.” Employers must now ensure that mandatory risk assessments and audits are conducted only by individuals licensed by the Commissioner. This formalizes a role that was previously unregulated.
- Mandatory Annual Audits and Risk Assessments: Employers are now legally required to conduct an annual safety and health audit and a periodic safety and health risk assessment of their workplaces. Failure to comply is punishable by substantial fines or imprisonment.
- Enhanced Health Surveillance: Employers must prepare and submit a detailed health surveillance plan to the Commissioner for approval. This plan must include pre-assignment, periodic, and post-assignment medical examinations for workers exposed to hazards, with the employer bearing all costs. The amendments also explicitly mandate the provision of mental health services and wellness programs.
- Safety Committees for All: Every employer, regardless of size, must now establish a safety and health committee. The previous requirement for a committee was triggered only for larger workplaces and upon request from employees.
- Strict Operator Certification: It is now illegal for any person to operate machinery, plant, or equipment without being both trained and certified to do so. Employers who permit uncertified operators face strict liability, with fines of up to one thousand currency points or imprisonment for up to two years.
Summary of Implications for Employers
The collective impact of these changes signals a decisive shift from a reactive to a proactive safety culture. Employers can no longer treat workplace safety as a secondary concern but must integrate it as a core component of their operational and risk management strategy.
“Employers must engage only licensed safety and health practitioners, implement annual risk assessments and audits, restructure internal safety committees, ensure operator certification, and align hazardous substance handling with environmental regulations,” Idoot’s analysis warns.
Failure to adapt internal policies, processes, and training to these enhanced requirements carries the risk of substantial penalties and increased regulatory scrutiny. Businesses are strongly encouraged to conduct an immediate and thorough review of their current safety arrangements, practitioner engagements, and training programs to ensure full compliance with the new law.
Source: Analysis based on the “EMPLOYMENT LAW LEGISLATIVE ALERT” published by Kampala Associated Advocates on October 6, 2025.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employers should consult with qualified legal counsel to understand their specific obligations under the new law.
