30 Oct Are Changes to Health and Safety Legislation Necessary?
Sometimes specific events in life create memories in which you never forget where you were and what you were doing at the time.
On the 19th of November 2010, the day that 29 miners died in the tragic Pike River Mine explosion, I was at home having a coffee with my wife. When I heard the special TV bulletin, I said to her, “It’s sad that it’s going to be an event like this to change the face of health and safety in New Zealand”. How wrong I was!
After 33 years working in the health and safety industry, where I’ve spent time training managers, employees, developing systems, safe operating procedures and auditing, I’m still seeing little improvement in the performance of health and safety in New Zealand.
Why is this?
The Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum conservatively estimates the cost of workplace illness and injury in New Zealand at $4.9 billion in 2023 – read more here. 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.
An all-hats applause for the initiative by the current Minister of Labour who oversees health and safety to get down to the grass roots of health and safety in NZ must be commended, and from what I’m reading, she has been getting some down-to-earth cold hard facts about why New Zealand is in this position. Several changes have been mooted, but as a result of this consultation with a wide range of business owners, unions, and other interested parties, the following is an open letter signed off by many concerned parties not to make radical change, but to invest in health and safety in NZ. It’s been estimated that the collective annual cost to the NZ economy is in the region of $4.95 billion annually – any investment to reduce this horrific cost – not only in $$$ terms, but in human misery – must be good for the nation.
Read more – Open Letter To Minister On Labour Day Urges Investment In WorkSafe, Not Radical Change
An issue that I believe is too often overlooked in the past attempts to improve our health and safety record is the fact that 97% of businesses in NZ are small to medium sized businesses with 20 or less employees. They don’t have the time, resources (financial and manpower), or knowledge to make sure that their health and safety is in place or up to speed.
The legislation must be simplified, or, to even go a step further, to legislate that every business owner is required to undertake training in health and safety.
Other suggested articles:
- Do I need ISO 45001 for my business?
- Health and Safety for Contractors Onsite
- Reviewing your H&S Documents
- What is a Health and Safety Policy?
- Using a Software Solution for Health and Safety Management
- How Often Should Hazards be Reviewed?
Please contact us if you would like to discuss.