Changes are coming to New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), with new requirements taking effect from 1 April 2027.
The changes are designed to put greater focus on critical risks, helping businesses prioritise the hazards that have the potential to cause the most serious harm.
What is changing?
Under the amended legislation:
- Small businesses with fewer than 20 workers will be required to manage critical risks and prioritise these risks when meeting their health and safety obligations.
- Larger businesses will continue to manage all risks but will be required to give critical risks the highest priority.
- Industry, worker and employer organisations will be able to develop codes of practice for approval.
- There will be greater clarity around injuries and illnesses that must be notified to WorkSafe.
- Changes to Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) will provide greater certainty for businesses about meeting their health and safety duties.
All businesses will need to identify the critical risks relevant to their work and consider what they should reasonably know about those risks.
What does this mean for lone and remote worker safety?
For organisations with people working alone, remotely or in higher-risk environments, the changes are a timely reminder to consider the consequences when something goes wrong, not simply how frequently an incident might occur.
Depending on the work being undertaken, this could include risks such as serious injury, medical emergencies, violence or aggression, vehicle incidents, falls, or workers becoming stranded or unable to call for help.
Having the right processes and technology in place can help organisations manage these risks and ensure workers have a reliable way to raise an alarm and access assistance when they need it.
WorkSafe has begun releasing guidance to help businesses understand the changes and prepare ahead of 1 April 2027.
Read more about the upcoming changes on the WorkSafe New Zealand website.
