New Zealand’s Health and Safety requirements are rapidly evolving with increasing accountability for the health and safety of employees and contractors being placed on Boards, Management Teams, and work coordinators and supervisors. Everyone is responsible for the safety of those around them. Safe work practices are no longer an “extra” you add on when required. All businesses are now required to have an imbedded safe work culture where all employees and contractors working on your site go home safely to their families every night.
Focussed can assist your business in reviewing your Health and Safety systems and work with you and your team on imbedding new systems that will not only ensure adherence to the 2016 Health and Safety at Work Act but also ensure your employees and contractors are safe and healthy.
The new Act is part of “Working Safer: a blueprint for health and safety at work” and reforms New Zealand’s health and safety system following the recommendations of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety.
Working Safer is aimed at reducing New Zealand’s workplace injury and death toll by 25 per cent by 2020. It will require leadership and action from business, workers and Government to achieve this goal. The Act’s key emphasis is on everyone in the workplace being responsible for health and safety. Focussed are able to assist you and your team with these required changes.
The Act works to focus effort on what matters, based on business risk, control and size:
- It reinforces proportionality – what a business needs to do depends on its level of risk and what it can control
- It shifts from hazard spotting to managing critical risks – actions that reduce workplace harm rather than trivial hazards
- It introduces the “reasonably practicable” concept – focusing attention on what’s reasonable for a business to do
- It changes the focus from the physical workplace to the conduct of work – what the business actually does and so what it can control
- It supports more effective worker engagement and participation – promoting flexibility to suit business size and need.
Focussed can also assist you with updating your Health and Safety systems and manuals, along with gaining ACC accreditation to reduce your ACC premiums.