What is an Annexure 3 medical certificate?

An Annexure 3 is the medical certificate of fitness prescribed by South Africa’s Construction Regulations, 2014. A contractor must make sure every employee has a valid one, specific to the construction work they will do and issued by an occupational health practitioner.

Who needs an Annexure 3?

Every employee of a contractor doing construction work, under regulation 7(8) of the Construction Regulations, 2014. That covers labourers, scaffolders, operators and electricians alike, and subcontractors’ crews too, because a contractor in the regulations is any employer performing construction work.

The certificate is specific to the work. One issued for a bricklayer does not automatically cover the same person driving a telehandler.

What does the employer fill in?

The employer completes the marked fields before sending the employee for the medical:

The employee’s name, ID number and company number
Their occupation and the work they will do
Possible exposures, such as noise, heat, dust or work at height
The protective equipment the job requires

The practitioner examines the employee against that description, so a vague form gives a vague certificate. It is worth being exact.

Who can sign it?

An occupational health practitioner: an occupational medicine practitioner, or a nurse who holds a qualification in occupational health recognised by the South African Nursing Council. A general practitioner’s letter saying someone is fit to work is not the same document.

What does the medical cover?

The work on the form sets the tests. For construction they usually include:

Medical and occupational history
Blood pressure and a cardiovascular check
Vision, including depth and colour perception
Hearing, by audiometry, on noisy sites
Lung function, by spirometry, where there is dust
Balance and musculoskeletal checks, especially before work at height

How long is an Annexure 3 valid?

The gazetted form carries no expiry date. Principal contractors and safety files work to twelve months from the date of issue, and some copies of the form in circulation add a line saying so. Redo it sooner if the work, the exposures or the employee’s health change.

Where do you get the form?

Annexure 3 is published with the Construction Regulations, 2014, linked under Sources below. If you are booking construction medicals with us, ask on WhatsApp and we will send you a copy to complete.

Quick answers

Is Annexure 3 the same as a medical certificate of fitness?

It is the specific form of medical certificate of fitness that construction work requires. Other work gets a certificate of fitness that is not tied to this form.

Can a worker use an existing Annexure 3 on a new site?

Only if it is still current, the work and exposures are the same, and the principal contractor accepts it. New work or new exposures need a new assessment.