Keep calm and carry on safely

Calm down — that’s the message from WorkSafe New Zealand Chief Executive Gordon MacDonald two weeks out from the implementation of the new Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) on 4 April.

He said in recent media coverage there has been “ill-informed comment about the impact of this legislation which has been a mixture of over-reaction, misinformation and scare-mongering”.

Clear health and safety workplace duties have existed in New Zealand for over 20 years, many of which will be carried over to the new legislation. The legislation is part of a reform package aimed at reducing the number of serious work-related injuries and deaths by at least 25% by 2020.

MacDonald said HSWA does not mean a whole new list of risks has to be managed since risk management has always been part of workplace health and safety but that the new aspects in HSWA clarify duties, which are designed to better protect New Zealand workers.

“That makes it all the more disappointing to hear wild claims about sports events likely to be cancelled, principals putting houses into trusts and bowling clubs being forced to take down coat racks,” said MacDonald.

“If a claim about the impact of the new law sounds far-fetched, then it almost certainly is.

“Some people do not understand the law, are being given very dodgy advice or are being wilfully ignorant of its requirements.”

Rather than the new law focusing on petty issues, WorkSafe New Zealand said it tackles significant areas where there is a need for improvement.

Under HSWA, everyone in the workplace will have a role to play, from a director to a worker, although HSWA recognises that businesses and their directors have more influence and control than workers.

In addition, companies are required to involve their workers in health and safety matters — making sure that the frontline, where the dangers lie, is fully represented in business decision-making.

“It is vital we don’t get sidetracked by doomsday scenarios that simply won’t occur under the new law. We must keep focused on what’s important,” said MacDonald.

“Between picking up a paper on Sunday morning containing these sorts of claims and heading off to work on a Monday morning, approximately 60 New Zealanders suffer injuries or worse in the workplace. That’s what the country needs to focus on sorting out.”

WorkSafe said it is providing information through its website — www.worksafe.govt.nz — and a wide variety of industry sector groups and organisations such as the Ministry of Education. The information campaign will continue in the coming months, including formal guidance, online tools, case studies and fact sheets.

Originally published here.