Open Letter To Minister On Labour Day Urges Investment In WorkSafe, Not Radical Change

Businesses, unions and health and safety experts are making a united call to the Government about the changes they believe will improve the health and safety system and save lives.

Business New Zealand, the Council of Trade Unions, the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand and the NZ Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) have issued an open letter on Labour Day to Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden as part of her review of the health and safety regime.

The letter identifies three key areas to improve New Zealand’s health and safety record:

Better system leadership and coordination

Improving and investing in WorkSafe NZ

Better regulations and guidance

The group urges the Minister to refrain from substantial overhaul of the 9-year old Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. The Act is based on similar legislation to Australia and the United Kingdom, where workplace fatalities and injuries are much lower than New Zealand.

The letter shows an unprecedented degree of consensus between representatives of workers, large and small businesses, and experts across the health and safety landscape.

"We are united in our view of what needs to happen so we can do better as a country to protect workers and that businesses are better equipped to deliver a safer, healthier work environment. The safety and health of New Zealand workers is too important to become a political football," said Robyn Bennett, President of NZISM.

"It’s the company owners, chief executives, large and small businesses, workers exposed to a whole range of risks in the workplace and experts who understand the health and safety system - they know what it takes to make the system work better to save lives and reduce injuries. We urge the Government to listen."

CTU President Richard Wagstaff said; "We are making this call on Labour Day because it’s an important day to recognise the value of workers to our economy and the desire of all of us that they return home safe and well every working day. Our regime is just not working the way it should and we welcome the chance the current review has provided to get it right once and for all."

The Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum conservatively estimates the cost of workplace illness and injury in New Zealand at $4.9 billion per year. More than 70 people a year on average die in workplace accidents, double that of Australia and another 900 die from diseases caused by work.

Making the right, targeted investments in health and safety will pay dividends to businesses, communities, and the country. Workers need to return home healthy and well, and businesses need to have access to guidance and support to improve health and safety in their workplaces.

"We can and should do better - even lifting our performance to that of Australia’s would save almost $1.4 billion a year, saving lives and injury, and preventing families and communities from being shattered," said Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum Chief Executive, Francois Barton.

Submissions on the review close on 31 October.

"We look forward to working with the Minister to drive the changes that businesses, workers and experts know will make a difference," said Robyn Bennett.

The open letter is supported by key leaders and experts across the health and safety system, including the Employers and Manufacturers Association, GM Safety Forum, Te Rōpū Marutau o Aotearoa (the Māori Health and Safety Association), Women in Safety and Health Excellence New Zealand, the New Zealand Society for Safety Engineering, the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand, the New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses Association, the Occupational Health Physiotherapy Group, New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society, Occupational Therapy New Zealand Whakaora Ngangahau Aotearoa, ShopCare Charitable Trust, the Forestry Industry Safety Council, MinEx (the Health and Safety Council for the extractive sector), MarineSAFE, StayLive, and the WorkSafe Chair of Workplace Health and Safety at Victoria University.

© Scoop Media