Health and Safety Update: Submissions are open

As you may be aware, there have been whispers of health and safety reform since the election, but further details have been limited.  However, we have recently had an update from the Government in terms of next steps in the health and safety space. 

On 14 June 2024, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety announced that the Government has launched a public consultation process focused on inviting businesses/organisations, workers, and those with a vested interest in the health and safety system to provide feedback on their experiences with the current law, and what they believe should be changed (and how).

The consultation will be led by the Health and Safety policy team at MBIE on behalf of the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety.  

The consultation document was published by MBIE on 14 June 2024 and identifies five different focus areas, and seeks stakeholder feedback on the following: 

 

  1. How businesses and organisations make decisions about health and safety, the rationale behind those decisions, and the cost of implementing them;
  2. Whether the law strikes the right balance between flexibility and certainty (or whether it is too detailed or unclear);
  3. How businesses and organisations engage with workers about health and safety, how workers participate in health and safety, and the impact of worker engagement and participation;
  4. Experiences with health and safety regulators, and those that have roles within the health and safety system; and
  5. Whether the work health and safety regulatory system is currently meeting its objective.

 

The Minister has expressed that all regulatory reform has been put on hold pending the outcome of this consultation.

 

If you would like to have your say, MBIE is inviting submissions, which are due by 5pm, 31 October 2024.

 

For more information

If you or your organisation would like advice about this latest update or the current Act, please do not hesitate to reach out. For more information, please contact 04 472 0020 or one of our employment law experts.

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New Zealand Government - Health and Safety Assesment