EMA Welcomes Health And Safety Review

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says businesses will welcome the Government’s announcement today that they will be starting consultation on a review of health and safety laws.

EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says that the current Health and Safety Act is almost 10 years old, and the time is right to review it.

"The current health and safety framework is not working as well as it should be. We know that because there are still far too many New Zealanders being hurt at work and our rates of harm are far higher than other comparable countries," says O’Riley.

"One of the issues we hear from our members is that the current legislation has built an overly complex system based on compliance, which isn’t delivering any meaningful change.

"Instead of a system focused on ticking boxes, we need to create a health and safety framework that supports the creation of an environment that keeps workers safe.

"As a first step, we need legislation and regulations that are clear, consistent, understandable, and effective. They also need to be adaptable and allow employers to implement appropriate health and safety policies and procedures that reflect the actual risk of different work environments.

"We can’t have a one-size-fits-all solution. Clearly the risks associated with working in sectors like primary industries are totally different to risks associated with working in a service environment. Our health and safety framework should reflect this difference."

O’Riley says that while it is important that we get the legislative settings right, it is just as important that the system is overseen by a modern and well-resourced regulator.

"Unfortunately, this isn’t currently the case. The Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety recommenced an inspector ratio of 10.7 inspectors per 100,000 workers, but the current ratio is only 6.3 per 100,000," says O’Riley.

"It is important that this inspector ratio is improved as part of the wider work being done to improve our health and safety framework, enabling a system that enforces minimum standards and is better positioned to prevent workplace accidents before they occur.

"There are opportunities to engage business organisations like the EMA in the process, building on the work we have been doing with member charters covering compliance and ongoing training obligations.

O’Riley also indicated that technology had an important role to play in improving health and safety, including surveillance and using AI for predictive analysis on potential risk area

"We need to be doing all we can to keep our workers safe and we look forward to working collaboratively with the Government to improve health and safety legislation so that it is fit for purpose and keeps people safe at work."

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