Leaders Forum backs safety Taskforce report

30 April 2013
Leaders Forum backs safety Taskforce report

The report of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety offers ways to fix New Zealand’s “broken” workplace safety system, says Julian Hughes, Executive Director of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum.

“The Taskforce has put forward realistic and achievable recommendations to fix our broken health and safety system and lift New Zealand’s poor performance on workplace safety,” Mr Hughes said.

“The Forum strongly supports the Taskforce’s call for an urgent, sustainable step-change in harm prevention activities and agrees that our current performance is not acceptable.”

Both the Pike River Royal Commission and an internal inquiry into the former Department of Labour found that problems with workplace safety ran much deeper than actions or mistakes by individuals, Mr Hughes said.

“They found that New Zealand’s health and safety system is suffering from systemic failure. The Taskforce report supports these findings and offers us ways to start fixing these systemic failures by focusing on broad areas of the system.” Importantly they found that no single factor was behind our poor performance, meaning a focused and sustained approach was needed right across the system.

The Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum was established to encourage and support chief executives and other senior leaders to play an active role in improving workplace safety.

The Forum believes that a step change is needed if we are to lift New Zealand’s poor safety performance.

“Tinkering around the edges is not going to prevent another Pike River. We need to make a step change – to instil a new way of thinking about safety where everyone – from politicians, regulators, business owners, directors, senior leaders, front line supervisors and workers – all step up and do their bit to keep people safe.”

“Business leaders are key to the success of the proposed changes,” Mr Hughes said. “As the saying goes; ‘what interests the boss fascinates me’. If we want safety to be a priority in our workplaces then it must be a priority for our directors, CEOs and senior managers.” Ultimately they have the most influence over what happens in the workplace and the proposed changes will help to engage these leaders in the system.

About the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum

The Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum is a coalition of senior business and government leaders committed to improving the performance of workplace health and safety in New Zealand.

Our vision is all business leaders passionately committed to achieving Zero Harm Workplaces.

Our focus is to lead a step change in workplace health and safety performance, through effective and inspired senior leadership, influence and shared learning.

The Forum was launched in 2010 by Prime Minister John Key and has more than 130 members who are CEOs or Managing Directors of significant New Zealand companies.

The Forum’s chairman, Rob Jager, is also chair of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety.

For more information see www.zeroharm.org.nz

ENDS

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