Health and Safety in New Zealand Workplaces

As an employer, taking action to lower the risk of health and safety events is mandatory.

Your employees are at the heart of your business, so ensuring they have the appropriate training to perform their role safely is a priority. If you fail to integrate comprehensive, relevant, and maintainable policies and procedures, you may be directly exposing your staff members to otherwise avoidable threats.

By taking reasonably practical measures, you can minimise the risk/s to your employees, reduce your business’ exposure to unnecessary downtime, comply with HASWA objectives, and create a safer workplace. In turn, your business will hopefully avoid the repercussions of a HASWA prosecution which will be incredibly damaging not only to you staff, but also your reputation.

By instilling a culture where employees are consciously working to preserve their personal health and safety, as well as that of their colleagues, you can build a better future for your staff and also your business.

Recently, various developments in Health and Safety have assisted in further defining the way organisations in New Zealand and across the world conduct their day-to-day operations.

WorkSafe Funding Increased

Over the course of four years, WorkSafe has committed to investing $57 million towards improving the wellbeing of New Zealanders in the workplace.

There are numerous key areas that these funds are set to address, including mental health, work-related harm and hazardous substances. WorkSafe will be gathering valuable insights during this process, allowing them to complete predictive modelling. Ultimately, this will help form future regulations, ensuring they are targeted, aligned and flexible.

The Importance of Enforcing Clear, Monitored Policies

If an organisation has health and safety policies in place, but they fail to take reasonably practical action by communicating, monitoring and enforcing such guidelines, they may still be liable for breaches. But, more importantly, their employees may be exposed to considerable risks that threaten their safety.

In a recent case, a worker in Picton New Zealand, who was driving a 2-axil dump truck without a seatbelt or license for the vehicle ran off the road, rolling down a bank. They sustained serious injuries that ultimately led to their passing. The company that they worked for was convicted and sentenced because while they had the appropriate policies in place, these weren’t enforced. In addition to this, a supervisor was present at the time of the incident and, despite knowing the deceased was unlicensed, failed to prevent them from driving. In this instance, the company was found guilty, with the Court fining them a total of $351,563.

For more information, see The Safe Side or speak with your insurance advisor.

Conditions apply for each policy and the information expected from you for a policy to trigger. Coverage may differ based on specific clauses in individual policies. Please ask your broker to explain the additional benefits and exclusions pertaining to your policy.

The information provided is general advice only and does not take account of your personal circumstances or needs. Please refer to our financial services guide which contains details of our services and how we are remunerated.