Reform Bill Key Changes

25 July, 2015

The Select Committee considering the Health and Safety Reform Bill has reported back to Parliament with improvements to the Bill following public submissions. The Government also intends to clarify some provisions in the Bill to provide certainty for businesses, particularly small businesses, about what they will be required to do to meet their duties. Read more

Ageing is normal

25 July, 2015

Older workers are forming an increasing proportion of the New Zealand workforce and also make up a disproportionately large percentage of work fatalities, which makes addressing their health and safety concerns an issue for all organisations. Read more

Qualified support for prequalification

10 July, 2015

Users of contractor prequalification schemes have given them an overall pass mark in a Safeguard readers’ survey, but results show there is still room for improvement. Read more

Survey identifies simmering issues

10 July, 2015

A major nationwide survey examining health and safety practices and beliefs across high risk industries has identified significant differences in approach between sectors, a strong tendency to under-estimate workplace risk, and inconsistencies in the way workers and employers from the same industry groups perceive performance. Read more

Forums strategic plan

29 May, 2015

The Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum has developed five key strategies to see it through to 2017. The strategies are: Read more

Safeguard Award winners 2015 announced

29 May, 2015

Education provider Te Wānanga o Aotearoa has taken overall honours at this year’s New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards for its Tau Ora wellbeing programme, which aims to transform the health of Māori nationwide through its staff, students and their whānau. Read more

Refusal: a practicable step

15 May, 2015

Refusing unsafe work is not just a right but a legal obligation on all workers, the deputy chair of the WorkSafe New Zealand board told a Workers’ Memorial Day event in Auckland last month. Read more

Directors - walk and listen

15 May, 2015

Company directors who wish to get to grips with health and safety need to get out of the boardroom and onto the shop floor – and to listen more than they talk. Read more

Directors’ ideas

15 May, 2015

Attendees at the health and safety session were given work to do: each table had to discuss how their boards were anticipating the new Health and Safety at Work Act and come up with an idea for boards to consider. Here is a selection: Read more

Letting things slide

6 March, 2015

A spate of giant inflatable slide incidents in the last couple of months has prompted a call for more active supervision of such fun activities. Read more