Privacy Policy

01

Who We Are

The South African Society of Occupational Medicine (SASOM) is an Affiliate Association of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), registered at 349 Dr van der Merwe Road, Montana, Pretoria, Gauteng, 0182.

SASOM has appointed a designated Information Officer responsible for our compliance with POPIA and this Policy. For all privacy-related queries, corrections, or complaints, please contact:

02

What We Collect & Why

We collect personal information only where it is necessary and relevant to the stated purpose.

03

Our Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal information only where we have a lawful basis under POPIA, including:

• Contractual necessity — to fulfil our obligations to you as a member
• Legal obligation — where processing is required by applicable law
• Legitimate interest — for SASOM's reasonable operational purposes, where not outweighed by your rights
• Consent — where you have given specific, informed consent for a particular purpose

04

Disclosure to Third Parties

SASOM does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information only in these limited circumstances:

• Service providers — such as payment processors, IT support providers, or email delivery services, who act on our instructions and are bound by confidentiality obligations
• Affiliated organisations — such as SAMA, where relevant and with appropriate safeguards
• Legal and regulatory authorities — where required by law, court order, or the Information Regulator

SASOM does not transfer personal information outside South Africa. Should this change, we will ensure any recipient provides protection consistent with POPIA.

05

How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law.

• Membership records — duration of membership, plus 5 years
• Financial and payment records — 5 years (per statutory requirements)
• Website analytics data — up to 13 months on a rolling basis
• General enquiry records — 3 years from last contact

When information is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

06

Security of Your Information

SASOM implements appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information, including secure South African-based server hosting, encryption in transit and at rest, and access controls limiting information to authorised personnel only.

All employees and contractors with access to personal information are bound by confidentiality obligations. In the event of a security compromise likely to affect your rights, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected individuals as required by POPIA.

You can help protect your information by keeping your account credentials confidential and notifying us promptly of any suspected unauthorised access.

07

Cookies

We use cookies to enable core website functions, remember your preferences, and understand how our site is used. You may manage cookie preferences through your browser settings, though disabling certain cookies may affect functionality.

Third-party services integrated with our site (such as payment processors) may place their own cookies. Their use is governed by the respective party's privacy policy.

08

Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the following rights in relation to your personal information. Contact our Information Officer to exercise any of these rights.

09

Direct Marketing

SASOM may use your contact details to send you communications about our services, events, and matters relevant to occupational medicine. You may opt out at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email, or by contacting our Information Officer. We will action all opt-out requests promptly.

10

Changes to This Policy

SASOM may update this Policy from time to time. Revised versions will be published on this page with an updated effective date. Where changes are material, we will endeavour to notify members directly.