Health & Safety

Employees are assets for any business. So it is very important to give special attention to the health & safety of employees. A focus on the health and safety of people in your workplace can avoid the human and business costs of workplace injuries, and improve productivity.

In New Zealand there is special importance is given to the health and safety at workplace, you see it by visiting any workplace. Over here we will talk about occupational health and safety. Occupational health and safety is concerned with protecting the safety, health & welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational health and safety programs is to foster a safe work environment.

Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992

Object of Act

The object of this Act is to promote the prevention of harm to all persons at work and other persons in, a place of work by   

• Promoting excellence in health and safety management 
• Defining hazards and harm in a comprehensive way 
• Imposing various duties on persons who are responsible for work and those who do the work 
• Setting requirements that-

                (i) relate to taking all practicable steps to ensure health & safety 
                (ii) Are flexible to cover different circumstances 

• Recognizing that volunteers doing work activities for other persons should have their health and safety protected 
• Recognizing that successful management of health and safety issues is best achieved through good faith co-operation in the place of work and, in particular, through the input of the persons doing the work
• Providing a range of enforcement methods, including various notices and prosecution

Employers to ensure safety of employee 

Every employer shall take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees while at work; and in particular shall take all practicable steps to— 

• Provide and maintain for employees a safe working environment 
• Provide and maintain for employees while they are at work facilities for their   safety and health
• Ensure that plant used by any employee at work is so arranged, designed, made, and maintained that it is safe for the employee to use
• Ensure that while at work employees are not exposed to hazards arising out of the arrangement, disposal, manipulation, organization, processing, storage, transport, working, or use things                                             

                   (i) In their place of work; or

                   (ii) Near their place of work and under the employer's control

• Develop procedures for dealing with emergencies that may arise while employees are at work.

 General duty to involve employees in health and safety matters

• There should be ongoing processes for improvement of health and safety in the employees' places of work.
• Employer must take into account any approved code of practice for employee participation in workplace health and safety.
• If a health and safety committee or a health and safety representative makes a recommendation regarding health and safety in a place of work, the employer must either adopt the proposal or provide a written statement to the health and safety committee or health and safety representative setting out the reasons for not adopting the proposal.