Understanding the Implications of Recent Health and Safety Law Reforms Announced by the Government

Earlier this month, the government announced their intentions for the reform of health and safety law. Our Chair Rob Holland and Vice-Chair Joe Bain met with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Brooke van Velden, in Napier last year on her roadshow and many of the statements in her announcement titled "Reducing ambiguity about what is reasonably practicable for health and safety compliance" echo our sentiments expressed to her, which we'll take some credit for 😉 

For many businesses and workers, the ambiguity in current legislation has created uncertainty and unnecessary costs but this reform promises to introduce Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) as "legal safe harbours" —meaning if you follow an ACOP, your compliance is assured.

According to Minister van Velden, “You shouldn’t need a consultant just to know if you’re following the law.” and this change is designed to restore clarity and confidence to businesses and workers alike.

Key points from the announcement:

• ACOPs will be industry-specific and regularly updated to reflect current practice

• Industry groups, in addition to WorkSafe, will have the ability to propose new ACOPs

• A Minister-led quality assurance process will ensure consistency and integrity

• Legislation to enact these changes is expected to be introduced later this year.

We agree that these changes have the potential to shift toward a more practical, transparent and collaborative approach to health and safety regulation.

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