Workplace health and safety experts are warning proposed changes to New Zealand’s safety laws could make workplaces more dangerous, particularly for workers in small businesses.
Mike Cosman, law reform spokesperson for the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management, says the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill risks creating confusion for employers while weakening protections for workers.
The Bill is the biggest proposed overhaul of New Zealand’s workplace health and safety system since the Health and Safety at Work Act was introduced in 2015. The Government says the changes are aimed at reducing unnecessary compliance costs, improving clarity for businesses and focusing the system on preventing serious harm.
However, NZISM says the proposed changes could add confusion and cost for small businesses rather than making the system easier to understand. Cosman says health and safety professionals work with businesses every day to make workplaces safer, but the Bill in its current form will not help achieve that goal.
A coalition of peak health and safety organisations, including NZISM, the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions and HASANZ, has called on Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden and the Education and Workforce Committee to rethink parts of the Bill.
Critics say MPs must listen to the concerns raised by safety experts, worker representatives and industry groups before the legislation moves further through Parliament.
New Zealand already has a poor workplace safety record compared with similar countries. NZISM has previously said 50 to 70 people die each year in workplace accidents, with the rate around double Australia and four times that of the United Kingdom. Hundreds more die from work-related disease.
Cosman is expected to argue that reforms should focus on reducing serious harm, improving enforcement and giving businesses practical support, rather than weakening duties or creating new uncertainty.
The Bill was introduced in February and sent to the Education and Workforce Committee, with submissions closing in March and the committee due to report back in June.
Health and safety advocates say MPs still have time to amend the legislation and prevent changes they believe could increase risks for workers, especially those in small and high-risk workplaces.
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