Keeping your workers healthy and safe

Great! This is a legal requirement for all businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand so when you sell your products/services be sure to talk about this. Winning RFP's often include a line like this:

"We take our legal obligation to identify all health and safety risks seriously. We identify risks by [Insert actions e.g. XXXX we conduct an annual risk review of all spaces in which our workers operate]. Through the year we have a register for staff to report risks, near misses and incidents. Our Health and Safety officers receive extra training and and it is their responsibility to action reported risks XXX.

Identifying health risks your workers could face at work is an essential step to minimising or eliminating risk. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, you must eliminate risks to health and safety as far as is reasonably practicable. 

Identifying risks can be as simple as creating a list or register of health risks at your workplace. 

Health risks include:

Physical, e.g. exposure to workplace noise may lead to noise-induced hearing loss.

Psychosocial, e.g. bullying at work may lead to work-related stress.

Biological, e.g. exposure to animal bacteria may lead to sudden and severe illnesses.

Ergonomic, e.g. repeated lifting of heavy or bulky items may lead to lower back pain.

Chemical, e.g. exposure to solvents may lead to occupational asthma.

Best practice

Identify risks across all areas. Consider risks to safety, such as working in and around vehicles or working at height, as well as risks to health. You should record any risks your identify and make this information available to your employees. Engage your employees to help identify  risks. Update your list or risk register regularly.

Learn more

Identifying, assessing and managing work risks - Worksafe

What risk looks like in your industry - Worksafe