The Government is to establish a new, stand-alone workplace health and safety agency to significantly improve New Zealand’s workplace health and safety record.
The creation of a stand-alone Crown agency was a key recommendation of te Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy. The new agency will have a dedicated focus on health and safety and will be committed to ensuring people are well protected from injury and death when they go to work each day.
The agency will enforce workplace health and safety regulations, and work collaboratively with employers and employees to embed and promote good workplace health and safety practices.
Work will start soon on drafting the required legislation to set up the new agency. Ministers will decide on board composition, the name of the new agency and other details in coming months . The legislation to establish the agency is expected to be introduced in June. A dedicated unit is being set up within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to help establish the new agency.
The intention is for the agency to be up and running from 1 December 2013.
Until that time it is business as usual. MBIE will continue to do this work, meaning businesses and workers will be dealing with the same people in the same locations as before.
For more information visit the MBIE website.