Health, Money & Life
The human side of the trade: mental health, money stress, your body, retirement and life's big moments.
20 guides in this section
Occupational Health Overview for SA Tradespeople
The main long-term health risks in SA construction, from dust and noise to sun and stress, plus your OHSA rights, employer duties and where to get help.
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) on Site
NIHL is permanent. The 85 dB(A) limit stays, 82 dB(A) is a combined-exposure action level, peak is 137 dB(C), and new noise regs apply from 6 Sep 2026.
Occupational Cancer and Hazardous Exposure
Silica, asbestos, UV, diesel exhaust and wood dust cause cancer in construction. Your RPE and surveillance rights, plus how COIDA covers occupational disease.
Musculoskeletal Injuries and Manual Handling
Back, shoulder, knee and vibration injuries end trade careers early. Prevention on site, plus how COIDA covers a work-related MSD as an occupational disease.
Serious-Injury Return to Work and COIDA Outcomes
The COIDA process after a serious injury: reporting, treatment, 75% pay up to 12 months extendable to 24, permanent disability assessment and retraining.
Sun, Heat, and Working Outdoors
SA outdoor workers get 2 to 3 times more UV than indoor workers. The 5S sun protection framework, heat-stroke signs, hydration and your OHSA rights.
Women in Construction (SA)
Women in SA construction: your rights to fitted PPE and proper sanitation, harassment protections under the EEA, and the CIDB, ERWIC, BWASA and CETA support networks.
Self-Employed Maternity and Parental Provision
Self-employed women in SA cannot claim UIF maternity benefits. The honest gap, the Child Support Grant, income protection, cash buffers and provisional tax planning.
Procurement and Networks for Women-Owned Firms
How women ownership lifts your B-BBEE score for SA tenders, what the 40 percent set-aside really means, plus CIDB grading and CETA, SEDA and SEFA support.
Veterans into the Trades
Ex-SANDF into the building trades: how Artisan Recognition of Prior Learning (ARPL) and the EISA trade test earn a Red Seal, plus DMV, QCTO and CETA support.
Neurodiversity on the Tools
Neurodiversity in SA trades: ADHD, dyslexia and autism strengths, practical admin and coping strategies, and your reasonable-accommodation rights if employed.
Modern Slavery and Labour Exploitation (SA)
Wage theft, illegal deductions, debt bondage and document confiscation in SA construction: your rights under the BCEA and PCTPA, and exactly where to report.
Money Reality and Day-Rate Maths
Your day rate is not your income. An honest SA worked example on 2026/27 tax tables showing how R1,200 a day becomes roughly R14,000 to R15,000 a month in hand.
Becoming a Parent as a Sole Trader
Self-employed parents in SA get no UIF leave. Build a parental-leave fund, adjust provisional tax, line up clients, and use the Child Support Grant.
Death of a Sole Trader
A sole trader and their business are one in law. How the estate is wound up via the Master of the High Court, why a will matters, and the steps to take now.
Home Loan When Self-Employed
Self-employed and want a bond in SA? The documents banks want, the letter of drawings, statements, two years of financials, and how to improve your odds.
Priority Debts and Debt Review
When cash is tight, which SA debts to pay first, how debt review under the National Credit Act works, and why you should never borrow from a mashonisa.
Seasonal Slowdown and Cash Flow
SA construction goes quiet in December to January and June to July. Build a slow-season buffer, chase invoices, ring-fence provisional tax, and use the lull well.
Emergency Credit Hierarchy
When cash runs out in SA, the safe order to borrow: your buffer, bank facilities, then NCR-registered lenders only. Why you avoid mashonisas and SASSA-card credit.
Retirement from Nothing at 50
Starting retirement at 50 in SA: how a tax-deductible RA, the two-pot system and the SASSA Older Persons Grant fit together into a plan, not a verdict.