Bold Move For NZ Occupational Health And Safety

Bold Move For NZ Occupational Health And Safety Sector

The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) will be the first organisation in Australasia to enter into an occupational health and safety professional development program that is recognised internationally.

It will meet with UK based Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to revolutionise the sector in New Zealand, bringing the industry up to scratch with world-class courses and accreditation systems.

Currently IOSH is recognised in many countries including the United States, Canada, South Africa, Asia and Europe.

NZISM national manager Ian Clark said the move is long over-due.

"There is so much cloudiness involved in recognising health and safety as a professional sector of every business in New Zealand. In many respects it's been ignored. By developing this new pathway, more people are going to have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and ability."

An NZISM survey showed that members wanted qualifications that were internationally recognised.

On April 6, IOSH Professional Affairs Director Hazel Harvey will meet with NZISM and Department of Labour (DoL) representitives in Auckland to discuss two key objectives.

The first is establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with IOSH, to provide members of the occupational health and safety profession in New Zealand with clear career pathways and a better performance measurement structure.

The second is a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) philosophy, so New Zealand health and safety professionals can be recognised equally with other experts in their field internationally.

For the first time,the DoL has indicated intent to join all their inspectors up as professional members of NZISM to provide them with continuing professional development.

NZISM hopes to licence IOSH material so the New Zealand industry can be recognised on the world stage.

"We want a system here that can be recognised at an international level," said NZISM national operations and CPD manager Neville Rockhouse.

"We want to bring IOSH material here and New Zealand-ise it. This will provide us with the basic framework to firmly establish health and safety as a profession, and highlight a professional development framework that clearly establishes the importance of further academic study at the top of the tree."

Clark said the government has indicated a need to have a registration body for practitioners in occupational health and safety.

"NZISM has seen there is value in development of a regulatory body for people working to become part of the profession. This will greatly assist employers when hiring staff or engaging contractors or consultants.

"We have an interest in targeting anybody and everybody who has an interest in creating a safer environment for people to work."

Currently health and safety qualifications are offered at a tertiary level at Massey and Otago Universitys, but Clark said there was potential to extend to other education providers, particularly those that are NZQA based.

NZISM will not deliver training but will become actively involved with the approval of training providers.

He said health and safety was often a career that people fell into, but wanted to promote it as a viable career choice for young people, and the way to achieve this was a pathway to post-graduate qualifications.

NZISM Past National Manager, Paul Jarvie, said the move would "raise the bottom line of skills and knowledge and bring a needed benchmark to the industry."

ends

© Scoop Media