Expression of Interest: Drop-in sessions to inform the Select Committee submission on Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill
The Forum is preparing a submission to the Select Committee and engaging with political leaders to improve the Bill. Member input is critical. CEOs who wish to contribute are encouraged to be involved in submission development and upcoming short drop-in discussions—the stronger the engagement, the stronger the outcome.
If you're interested in getting involved in submission development and attending an one-hour virtual session, register your interest here.
Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill - an initial brief from Forum CEO
The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill has been released, and our early assessment is that it represents a missed opportunity to materially lift New Zealand’s health and safety performance. Overall, the changes are underwhelming, largely inconsequential for organisations already doing the right thing, and risk sending the wrong signal to those seeking to do less.
The most positive development is the strengthening of Approved Codes of Practice (ACoPs), with compliance proposed as a “safe harbour” for meeting duties and wider ability for industry and others to develop them. This addresses a long-standing gap in authoritative guidance.
While the Bill’s intent to prioritise “critical risks” is sound, its execution is problematic. It prescribes hazard types and relies on an undefined test of whether death or serious injury is “likely,” creating potential confusion. Importantly, many non-critical risks that still cause significant harm and cost—particularly to ACC—would no longer need to be managed by smaller businesses, likely driving higher system-wide costs.
The Bill also fails to resolve long-standing ambiguity around officers’ duties. Rather than clarifying the CEO’s dual role as both officer and worker, it largely preserves the status quo by limiting officer duties to governance without providing meaningful clarity.