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Health and Safety www.sparc.org.nz
HEALTH AND SAFETY
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
Table of
contents
Introduction 4
Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 5
Who is responsible? 5
Employer responsibilities 5
Employee responsibilities 6
Volunteers 6
Role of OSH 8
Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) 9
Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 10
Workplace health and safety systems 11
Employer commitment and policy 11
Hazard identification and management 12
Prioritising hazards 12
Controlling hazards 14
Monitoring hazards 14
Stress in the workplace 14
Occupational Overuse Syndrome 15
Manual handling 15
Workplace health and safety systems summary 16
Accident management 17
Accident management summary 17
Emergency management planning 18
Fire 18
Other emergency procedures 19
First aid 19
Civil defence supplies 20
Emergency management summary 20
Staff training, supervision and participation 21
Information for employees 21
Training or supervision 21
Suitable protective clothing and equipment 21
Staff participation 22
Health and safety representatives 222
Contractors and visitors 24
Health and safety and events 25
Event risk management process 26
Appendix 29
Appendix 1: Example health and safety programme plan 31
Appendix 2: Sample hazard register 33
Appendix 3: Sample employee health and safety handbook 34
Appendix 4: Event management risk profile template 42
Appendix 5: Sample health and safety manual 43It isn’t the mountains
ahead to climb
that wear you out; it’s the pebble
in your shoe. Muhammad Ali4
Introduction
This toolkit is designed to assist managers to meet their obligations under the Health
and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act), the Health and Safety in Employment
Amendment Act 2002 (Amendment Act) and associated legislation. It will also help
you to set up new, or review your existing, health and safety policy and procedures.
This resource is designed to be read in conjunction with other SPARC publications such
as the ‘People Management’ and ‘Risk Management’ toolkits.HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN EMPLOYMENT ACT 1992 5
Health and Safety
in Employment Act 1992
The main Act for the management of health and safety is the Health and Safety in
Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act). The principal objective of the Act is to provide for the
prevention of harm to employees while at work and to other people in the vicinity of a
workplace. The HSE Act is supported by regulations, guidelines and codes of practice
which control specific health and safety issues. A place of work is defined very broadly
as any place (not necessarily part of a building or structure) where any person is to
work, is working for the time being, or customarily works for gain or reward.
The Act does not tell people how to make the workplace safe; rather, it requires that
they have taken all reasonable practicable steps to make work safe. It recognises that
those involved in the work (employers and employees) are in the ideal position to
decide on the best way to make their workplace safe.
The Health and Safety in Employment Amendment Act 2002 increased the principal
coverage of the HSE Act to include protection to volunteers (excludes sports
organisations), persons in on-the-job training/work experience and employees on loan.
The amendment also confirms that harm can occur from work-related stress and that
temporary conditions may cause a person’s behaviour to be hazardous.
The guidelines and appendices in this section will help you to understand your duties
and responsibilities, and those of your employees, in relation to health and safety.
Who is responsible?
There is a shared responsibility by employers, employees and others to ensure a safe
and healthy workplace. Under the HSE Amendment Act in 2002, employees are
required to take part in the process of maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.
Employer responsibilities
As an employer, under the Act, it is primarily your responsibility to ensure that work is
carried out in a safe and healthy manner by performing the following duties:
• Provide and maintain a safe working environment (refer HSE Act
sections 6, 7).
• Provide and maintain facilities for the health and safety of employees at
work (refer HSE Act section 6).
• Ensure any equipment in the place of work is designed, set up and
maintained to be safe for employees (refer HSE Act section 6).
• Ensure systems of work do not lead employees to be exposed to hazards in
or around their place of work (refer HSE Act sections 7-10).
• Develop procedures for dealing with emergencies that may arise while
employees are at work (refer HSE Act section 12).
• Train and supervise employees (refer HSE Act section 13).
• Involve employees in the development of health and safety procedures
(refer HSE Act section 14).6
Employee responsibilities
Employees also have a responsibility under the HSE Act:
Not to endanger themselves or others (refer HSE Act section 19).
This includes:
• following the employer’s instructions regarding hazards in the place of
work, and health and safety practices
• reporting hazards
• using and caring for protective clothing and equipment and emergency
equipment
• not misusing or damaging equipment
• cooperating with the monitoring of workplace hazards and employees’
health (with permission)
• reporting work-related injuries or ill health
• not undertaking work that is unsafe. The Act provides that an employee
may refuse to do certain work if that employee believes the work is likely to
cause them serious harm
• not interfering with an accident scene (refer HSE Act section 26)
• complying with notices or other requirements of health and safety
inspectors and departmental medical practitioners from OSH (including
improvement or prohibition notices) (refer HSE Act sections 31, 33, 35, 37,
39-45).
An employee with supervisory or management responsibilities may also represent
the employer and therefore have employer responsibilities in addition to their own
responsibilities, for example ‘being in control of the place of work’.
Volunteers
The Act describes a volunteer as any person who does not expect to be rewarded for
work undertaken in their capacity as a volunteer and has not received any reward for
this work. A person who is in a place of work for the purpose of receiving on-the-job
training or gaining work experience is not included in the definition of volunteer by the
Act. This means your organisation should ensure a safe work environment for anyone
who is receiving on-the-job training or gaining work experience.
If a volunteer does work on a regular and ongoing basis and the work is regarded as an
integral part of the business or operation, those volunteers will be covered by certain
parts of the Act, in particular the obligation to provide a safe work environment.HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH AND SAFETY IN EMPLOYMENT ACT 1992 7
Certain volunteers are excluded by the Act, including those assisting with sport and
recreation for:
• a sports club
• a recreation club
• an educational institution.
Volunteers, such as those assisting with sport and recreation, who are not afforded
specific and enforceable coverage under section 3C of the Act are provided general
declaratory coverage under section 3D of the Act. This requires that all practicable
steps be taken to ensure health and safety of the volunteer while he or she is doing
work activity. If an OSH inspector is aware of a significant hazard that may affect
the volunteer, the Inspector will request that steps be taken to eliminate, isolate or
minimise the hazard as opposed to requiring steps to be taken. In summary, volunteers
who are involved in sporting activities are still covered by the Act but the obligations to
provide a safe environment under the Act are not enforceable.8
Role of OSH
The Occupational Safety and Health service (OSH) of the Department of Labour
(DOL) administers and enforces the HSE Act. Health and safety inspectors provide
information to employers and ascertain compliance with the Act. They are able to issue
enforcement notices and prosecute under the HSE Act (refer HSE Act sections 29-45).
Enforcement notices consist of improvement, prohibition or infringement notices.
Improvement notices require the workplace to comply with various sections of the
Act in a given timeframe. For example, a hazard notice that informs you that there is
a hazard in the workplace must be dealt with. Before issuing this notice the Inspector
must have tried to discuss the hazard with you. There is no penalty or fine associated
with a hazard notice, but continued non-compliance may result in further action by a
health and safety inspector.
A prohibition notice is issued where it is determined that there is risk of serious
harm occurring and may specify that employees are withdrawn from the work area.
Continued non-compliance may result in an instant fine (infringement notice)
or prosecution.
Infringement notices may be issued for continued non-compliance with the Act and
may result in an infringement notice which requires you to pay an instant fine (ranging
from $100 to $4000).
If a notice is issued and not complied with, the employer may be prosecuted (refer HSE
Act sections 49, 50). If it is determined that you, as the employer, have not taken all
reasonable practicable steps to ensure a safe workplace your organisation can be liable
for a fine of up to $250,000. Refer to the OSH enforcement policy A Guide to the
Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (OSH, 2000).
If an employee has suffered serious harm as a result of your knowingly operating an
unsafe workplace (e.g. an accident occurs more than once in the same way), the fine
can be up to $500,000.HEALTH AND SAFETY
ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CORPORATION (ACC) 9
Accident
Compensation
Corporation (ACC)
As an employer you are responsible for providing your employees with both a safe
workplace and ACC cover (through levies) for work-related injuries.
ACC WorkPlace Cover levy rates are determined by the cost of work-related injuries in
an industry sector. So the fewer injuries that occur overall, the less each employer will
have to pay in levies.
Employers are able to participate voluntarily in an ACC workplace safety management
practices programme or an ACC Partnership Programme.
The workplace safety management practices programme can be used to strengthen
your existing health and safety systems and offers the following benefits:
• It gives you an externally audited, national safety framework to work to.
• It proves your safety commitment to staff and members or associates.
• It rewards you with ACC levy discounts.
• It works to reduce injuries.
Discounts on your ACC WorkPlace Cover levy are awarded on three levels, to recognise
how comprehensive and effective your workplace safety management practices are.
The three levels are:
• Primary (10% discount)
• Secondary (15% discount)
• Tertiary (20% discount).
ACC will decide whether a discount is awarded, and at what level, on the basis of an
independent audit of your workplace safety systems and procedures. Discounts apply
for 24 months, starting from the first of the month after a successful audit.
If you are willing and able to manage your own accident cover and employee claims,
you can become part of the ACC Partnership Programme. Under the Programme,
you effectively agree to act on behalf of ACC for your work-related injuries. There are
two cover options to choose from – the Partnership Discount Plan, and the Full Self-
Cover Plan. Your organisation would need advanced health and safety systems and
infrastructure to support this programme.
More information is available through ACC: www.acc.co.nz10
Smoke-free
Environments Act 1990
It is a requirement of the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 that all employers have
a written policy on smoking for all areas occupied by the employer and frequented by
employees. This policy should be reviewed in consultation with employees every year.
You also need to ensure there are prominent notices indicating where smoking is not
permitted and locating permitted smoking areas (such as a sheltered outdoor balcony).
You will need to develop a policy that meets the requirements of the Smoke-free
Environments Act 1990 and the Smoke-free Amendment Act 2003. It should be based
on the following principles:
• Everyone is entitled to a smoke-free environment in all the areas normally
used for work.
• Everyone who does not smoke, or who does not wish to smoke in their
place of work must, as far as is reasonably practicable, be protected from
tobacco smoke in their place of work.
• The implementation a smoke-free policy depends on everyone responding
courteously to the desire for a smoke-free environment.
Recent amendments to the Act now place an obligation on the licensee of any licensed
premises to take all reasonable practical steps to ensure that no person smokes at
any time in any part of the premises other than an open area. This also applies to the
operator of a restaurant. If a sporting organisation runs a bar or restaurant then it must
ensure it takes reasonable steps to prohibit members and patrons from smoking in the
restaurant and/or bar.
The Act also imposes controls on the marketing, advertising and promotion of tobacco
products and their association through sponsorship of other products and events. A
sporting organisation should not be involved in any sponsorship or advertising that
involves tobacco products.
More information is available through the Ministry of Health: www.moh.govt.nzHEALTH AND SAFETY
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SYSTEMS 11
Workplace health
and safety systems
The main components of the Act require employers to show commitment to health
and safety by providing systems and resources for:
• employer commitment and policy
• hazard identification and management
• accident management
• emergency management
• employee information, training and supervision
• employee involvement
• working with contractors.
Employer commitment and policy
When developing a Health and Safety policy manual (refer example appendix 5), you
should list the objectives of the health and safety programme and how these objectives
will be achieved. Objectives should be SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, realistic
and time-bound (including a target date for completion). You should also document
who is responsible for achieving the objectives and ensure these objectives are reviewed
annually. An example plan from the ACC website is provided in appendix 1.
Your organisation’s commitment to a health and safety programme should include a
statement and an outline of staff and management accountabilities. A copy of your
health and safety policies should be documented in the health and safety manual and
there should be an abridged version in the health and safety employee handbook to
ensure that your organisational commitment is fully recognised.
Policies and procedures should be approved and regularly reviewed (for example yearly
or two-yearly) to ensure that they are up to date (legislatively and organisationally).
They should be authorised, signed and dated. A list of policies commonly found in a
health and safety manual is provided in appendix 5 – Manual review checklist.12
Hazard identification and management
Hazard Identification
Section 7 of the HSE Act requires employers to have in place effective methods to
systematically identify hazards to employees at work. Hazards may be:
• previously existing
• new
• potential.
Hazards can be identified by:
• physical inspection of the workplace, equipment and work practices
• analysis of ‘near miss accidents’ to determine the cause and prevent
accidents of this nature in future
• analysis of tasks and how they are carried out in the workplace.
Once identified, hazards must be assessed and significant hazards controlled.
A significant hazard is a hazard that is an actual or potential cause or source of:
• serious harm
• harm where severity of harm relates to the frequency or extent of exposure
• harm which does not usually occur and is not easily detectable until a
significant time after exposure to the hazard.
Hazard identification and controls must be completed for each new or modified piece
of equipment. An example of a hazard identification process is outlined in appendix 5
– Hazard management policy.
Prioritising hazards
It is possible that in the process of identifying hazards there may be a number of
significant hazards. Undertaking a risk assessment for each hazard will assist in
prioritising hazard control methods. There are several methods available to determine
risk. This involves considering two factors:
• Likelihood (the probable frequency that an injury or illness will occur as a
result of the hazard).
• Impact (the severity or degree of injury or illness that could occur as a result
of the hazard).
The risk assessment method below is consistent with the SPARC Organisational Risk
Management Toolkit. Refer to the SPARC website: www. sparc.org.nz. Likelihood and
Impact are rated separately on a scale of 1 to 5 and then a risk level is determined as to
whether the risk is a critical, high, moderate or low level risk. Likelihood, impact scale
and risk assessment charts are provided below.HEALTH AND SAFETY
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SYSTEMS 13
Likelihood scale
Score Scale Frequency of accident or illness
1 Rare May occur only in exceptional circumstances, e.g. less than 5%
chance of occurring
2 Unlikely Could occur at some time, e.g. 5-29% chance of occurring
3 Possible Should occur at some time, e.g. 30-59% chance of occurring
4 Likely Will probably occur in most circumstances, e.g. 60-79% chance
of occurring
5 Almost Will occur in most circumstances, e.g. 80%+ chance of occurring
certain
Impact scale
Score Scale Severity of accident or illness
1 Minimal Negligible injury or illness
2 Minor Minor injury or illness requiring minor first aid and/or less than
one week’s recovery
3 Moderate Injury or illness requiring advanced first aid and medical visit
(e.g. GP or hospital visit) and/or 1-6 weeks’ recovery
4 Major Injury or illness requiring advanced first aid and emergency
medical assistance (e.g. hospitalisation) and/or more than
6 weeks’ recovery
5 Extreme Injury or illness requiring immediate emergency medical assistance
and may result in permanent or long-term disabling effects or
death. Hospitalisation likely to be for more than 6 weeks
Risk assessment chart
Impact
Likelihood
Minimal Minor Moderate Major Extreme
Almost H H C C C
certain
Likely M H H C C
Possible L M H C C
Unlikely L L M H C
Rare L L M H H
Legend:
C Critical risk; immediate action required
H High risk; senior management attention is needed
M Moderate risk; management responsibility must be specified
L Low risk; manage by routine procedures
When the risk has been determined, this should be entered into the hazard register
(see example in appendix 2). The higher the risk, the greater the priority to control
the hazard.14
Controlling hazards
Sections 8-10 of the HSE Act require that once hazards are identified you must
eliminate, isolate or minimise them as follows:
• To eliminate a hazard you would change the situation so that the hazard
no longer exists (e.g. fix an uneven floor).
• If this is not possible, you should attempt to isolate the hazard by putting in
place a process or mechanism that keeps employees away from the hazard
(e.g. wash floor outside work hours to prevent a slipping hazard).
• If this is not possible, then you must minimise the hazard by doing all
you can to protect employees from harm (e.g. put signage up to warn of
tripping/falling hazards on stairs).
Appointed health and safety representatives are required to have training for the
identification and control of hazards and are responsible for maintaining a hazard
register. Specialist advice may be sought to control specific hazards (such as
dangerous substances).
A hazard register (see example in appendix 2) lets employees know of the potential
areas of harm in the workplace. This list must be kept up to date and made available
to existing employees. It should also be included in new employees’ induction packs.
However, it is everyone’s responsibility to identify hazards, complete a hazard
notification form (see example in appendix 5 – Hazard notification form) and discuss
the issue with the nominated health and safety manager.
Monitoring hazards
Where a hazard cannot be eliminated and a minimisation approach is taken to manage
a significant hazard, employers are required to monitor employees’ health (with the
employees’ consent) in relation to exposure to the hazard.
Monitoring ensures that the control measures implemented remain appropriate
and can be changed if the hazard characteristics have changed. The frequency of
monitoring should be determined based on the risk and potential for change in the
characteristic of the hazard. We tend to think of hazards as things that cause physical
harm, but amendments to the HSE Act in 2002 emphasised that stress and fatigue
have potential to cause harm also. You should, therefore, monitor your employees’
health in terms of both physical and mental wellbeing.
Monitoring may be by way of survey, visual inspection or sophisticated analysis
(for example audiometry).
Stress in the workplace
Everyone experiences stress from time to time and most of us have ways in which we
deal with it. Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress, however, may be detrimental
to a person’s health. Whilst it is difficult to monitor each employee’s level of stress, you
are required to ensure that your work practices don’t cause unnecessary harm. In the
same way you are required to put systems in place to manage other hazards, you must
have systems to deal with stress in the workplace.HEALTH AND SAFETY
WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY SYSTEMS 15
For example, stress can be:
• inherent in the job
• a result of the way the job is organised (e.g. shift work, unpredictable work
peaks)
• a result of excessive work demands
• related to personal factors (e.g. relationship status, financial issues etc).
If you become aware of the fact that an employee is suffering from stress, you must
have systems in place to assist to reduce the potential for harm. The best place to start
is an open discussion with the employee. If their source of stress is work related (e.g.
high workload, job content, conflict with colleagues) you can work together to take all
reasonable practicable steps to reduce the stressful situation.
Whilst you have no control over an employee’s personal life and external factors that
may impact on a person’s ability to cope at work, you are still required to take some
simple and practicable steps to help an employee deal with personal issues (if you
know about them). Some examples of the kind of support you could provide in this
situation are flexible work arrangements, reduced workload, paid leave or support to
attend counselling.
You will need to decide on the best ways to monitor stress levels and appropriate
systems to manage stress in your workplace.
Occupational Overuse Syndrome
Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS) is a collective term for a range of conditions
(including injury) characterised by discomfort or persistent pain in muscles, tendons and
other soft tissues. Every case of OOS has the potential to be classified as a significant
hazard because the condition may cause ‘serious harm’. Therefore the risk factors
for OOS need to be controlled by eliminating the hazard if at all possible, or else by
isolating or minimising the hazard.
There is an approved code of practice for OOS available through OSH:
www.osh.dol.govt.nz
Manual handling
‘Manual handling’ is defined as any activity requiring a person to lift, lower, push, pull,
carry, throw, move, restrain, hold or otherwise handle any animate or inanimate object.
Any manual handling tasks that are likely to be a risk to health and safety in the
workplace require hazard assessment and management. Staff should be provided with
appropriate training where manual handling tasks occur in the workplace. There is a
Code of Practice for Manual Handling published jointly by OSH and ACC. The code can
be downloaded from either the OSH or ACC websites.16
Workplace health and safety systems summary
Keep your workplace SAFE by following this simple mnemonic:
S Stop Look at the work, activities, equipment and substances
A Assess Does the work present any hazards that can cause harm?
Are they significant hazards?
Are controls sufficient?
F Fix Correct any hazards
Eliminate, isolate or minimise
E Evaluate Continue to monitor the hazard and controls
Are controls effective?HEALTH AND SAFETY
ACCIDENT MANAGEMENT 17
Accident
management
The Act requires you to keep a record of all accidents (including near misses) at work.
You should record this information in an accident register, an example of which is
included in appendix 5 – Accident form/register. The accident register also includes an
accident investigation portion to find out what happened, what the causes were and
what can be done to prevent it occurring in future.
Serious harm must be reported to OSH as soon as possible after the event and in
writing within seven days of the harm occurring. Serious harm is described in the first
schedule of the HSE Act.
Employees need to know how to manage an accident or incident. This information
should be contained in the health and safety policy manual and should include:
• what to do if you are involved in a work accident or incident
• how to react in an emergency when you are ‘on the scene’
• the reporting and investigation process.
Accident management summary
After the initial management of the accident or incident (first aid), the process for
managing the accident should include:
C Correct Return to SAFE to correct the hazard
A Accident Report the accident/incident as required
Report serious harm. Contact the health and safety manager
immediately
R Rehabilitate Get involved in the rehabilitation process
Provide a supportive environment for rehabilitation
E Evaluate Has the rehabilitative process been successful?
Will the steps in place prevent similar events?
What have we learnt from the process?18
Emergency
management planning
Fire
The Building Act 1991 requires evacuation schemes for public safety where any
building is used as a place:
(a) where 100 or more people are able to be present for different purposes or
activities; or
(b) where facilities for employment are provided for more than 10 people
(whether self-employed or employed by one or more employers).
An evacuation procedure is required where facilities for employment are provided for
fewer than 10 people. The evacuation procedure is put in place by the owner of any
building to ensure the safety of all occupants when evacuating in the event of a fire.
It must detail:
• what to do if a fire is discovered
• what to do if the fire alarms sound or you are warned of a fire
• how to get out of the building in an emergency
• what the fire alarm signal is.
An evacuation scheme is an enhanced evacuation procedure that must be approved
by the Fire Service. If an evacuation scheme is required, it is the responsibility of the
building owner to ensure there is an approved and maintained evacuation scheme.
An evacuation scheme will describe procedures for:
• what to do if you discover or are warned of a fire
• the duties and roles of wardens appointed to supervise the evacuation
• how to evacuate the building promptly to a place of safety
• how all building occupants are accounted for during an evacuation
• how to ensure that all persons with disabilities, including staff, visitors and
associates are assisted and accounted for during an evacuation
• fire action notices in the building
• the maintenance of the evacuation scheme
• the safe operation of fire fighting equipment in the building.
Section 21A(9) of the Fire Service Act 1975 allows for a waiver from the requirement
to provide an evacuation scheme for a building. A waiver can only be granted when
the Fire Service is satisfied that:
• the building has an adequate warning system
• occupants can evacuate unsupervised or unassisted
• disabled occupants do not require specialised care
• any evacuation would be safe, expeditious and efficient
• the building complies with the building code
• all exits are obvious to visitors.HEALTH AND SAFETY
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING 19
Your organisation should have access to either an evacuation scheme or evacuation
procedure. It is important that all staff familiarise themselves with this. There should be
a nominated building warden and floor warden if you are located on more than one
floor of a building. Fire warden training should be provided to a delegated fire warden.
Links to training providers can be found on the New Zealand Fire Service website.
A fire drill (or trial evacuation) must be conducted every six months. If a false alarm
is raised, this can be considered a drill. Following a fire drill, the process should
be evaluated to identify any areas of concern or improvement. A checklist can be
downloaded from the New Zealand Fire Service website.
Further information on fire evacuation schemes, procedures and forms can be found
at www.fire.org.nz
Other emergency procedures
Employees should know and understand what to do in the event of an emergency.
Other emergency procedures that require a written policy or process include
earthquake, flood, bomb scare, armed hold-up, aggressive or violent situations, and
security (working alone) (refer example health and safety manual in appendix 5).
Further information is available at: www.civildefence.govt.nz/memwebsite.nsf/
wpg_URL/Being-Prepared-Businesses-Index
First aid
The Act requires you to take all practicable steps in providing effective first aid
arrangements. This means that you should have a nominated person on your staff
who has had first aid training. A certified workplace first aider is an individual that has
completed the two-day (16-hour) workplace first aid qualification. This qualification
requires a two-yearly refresher course of one day. There are many first aid providers.
A current list is available at: www.mcdem.govt.nz/memwebsite.NSF/wpg_URL/
Being-Prepared-What-to-do-First-Aid?
Additionally, you need to provide basic first aid supplies in every place of work while
work is in progress. Where timely and convenient access to appropriate medical or
ambulance services is restricted due to distance or remote location, then at least
two trained personnel should be provided for up to every 10 employees. Employers
also need to take into account their duties to people other than employees such as
members of the public or participants at sports events that you may be responsible for.
OSH provides guidance notes on providing first aid equipment, facilities and training,
accessed from their website. Please see appendix 5 – First aid policy, for a list of
recommended minimum first aid kit contents for the workplace, and appendix 5 –
First aid register, for a sample first aid register.20
Civil defence supplies
As part of your emergency management planning, you should ensure there are
adequate civil defence supplies held at your place of work, as this is a practical step
the employer can take to ensure staff safety in such an emergency. The general rule of
thumb is to have enough supplies such as food, water and blankets for your staff for
three days. More information is available through your local city council; a link to your
local city council is available at www.civildefence.govt.nz
Emergency management summary
Four components (4 Rs) are common to the approach taken in emergency
management:
R Reduction Reduce the risk of emergency events occurring and their potential
impact (hazard management process)
R Readiness Plan the response to an emergency event (policies and procedures are
developed and known to all staff)
R Response What to do when an emergency event occurs (staff implement
emergency management policies and procedures)
R Recovery Review emergency response after the event – debrief staff and
recommend changes to the emergency management policies and
procedures if requiredHEALTH AND SAFETY
STAFF TRAINING, SUPERVISION AND PARTICIPATION 21
Staff training,
supervision and participation
Information for employees
You must provide your employees with information about:
• hazards in the workplace
• hazards that may arise from work they are doing
• the steps taken to minimise the likelihood of harm occurring from these
hazards
• where to find, how to use and how to maintain safety clothing and
equipment
• how to deal with any emergencies that arise
• injury and accident reporting
• employee and employer responsibilities.
Appendix 3 contains an example of an employee health and safety handbook as a
guideline. It gives a general overview of the type of information you could cover; you
will need to tailor this information to the specific procedures and processes you follow
for health and safety. You will need to decide what information to include in your
employee health and safety handbook, and the way in which the information should
be delivered to meet the needs of your workplace and employees. Make sure you use
appropriate language for your employees, so that the information is easy for everyone
to understand. You should also ensure that your organisation’s health and safety
manual is readily available to staff.
Training or supervision
You are legally required to do everything possible to ensure that employees have
adequate knowledge, experience, supervision and training to do their work safely.
An induction process for new employees should include health and safety matters
including identification and management of hazards.
Appendix 3 – Induction of new employees contains a checklist for health and safety
induction of new employees.
Suitable protective clothing and equipment
If the role requires it you must provide suitable clothing, equipment and instructions
on how to use it properly. It is not acceptable to give your employees money in lieu
of clothing or equipment, or require them to provide their own (unless the employee
volunteers to use his or her own equipment and you are satisfied it is suitable). It is
your responsibility to ensure that all safety equipment, including protective clothing,
is maintained. An example within sport and recreation would be the provision of
reflective vests for staff whilst involved in an event (e.g. road or cross-country) where it
is important that staff are highly visible to reduce risk of injury to either a staff member
or competitor in an event.22
Staff participation
You must provide opportunities for employees to contribute to health and safety within
the workplace. According to the Act, employees who wish to be involved (and union
representatives if appropriate) are required to work together to develop, implement
and maintain an employee participation system. This is simply a system that gives
employees a reasonable opportunity to have input into health and safety. You should
be able to demonstrate employee participation through documentation of meetings
and activities that should occur at least quarterly.
You are required to develop an employee participation system if:
• your organisation has more than 30 employees;
• you employ fewer than 30 employees and one of the employees or a union
representing them asks for an employee participation system.
If you already involve your employees in your health and safety processes, and all
parties agree to maintain the status quo, you don’t need to set up a new employee
participation system. You will, however, need to set up a process by which your
system can be reviewed, such as a staff survey that ascertains satisfaction with current
employee participation.
Your employee participation system should reflect the needs of your organisation.
Examples of the things you might like to include are:
• the election of employees to act as health and safety representatives, either
acting as individuals or as part of a health and safety committee (please see
below for more information on health and safety representatives)
• the employees’ role in hazard identification
• setting up a process for ensuring regular cooperation between you and
your employees on health and safety matters
• deciding on how many days’ paid leave will be allocated to each
representative for health and safety training.
Health and safety representatives
Your elected representatives can work either individually to promote health and
safety in the workplace or as part of a health and safety committee. Either way their
objectives will be the same and may include things such as:
• encouraging a safe and healthy work environment for all employees
• raising awareness of health and safety in the workplace
• identifying potential hazards in the workplace
• discussing ways to manage the hazards with the employer
• investigating health and welfare complaints by employees
• investigating and recording accidents
• keeping up to date with health and safety policy and legislation.
To be effective in their role your health and safety representatives must understand
health and safety matters. To facilitate this, they are allowed, under the Act, to take
paid leave to attend approved courses. A list of these courses is available from the
Employment Relations Service website: www.ers.dol.govt.nzHEALTH AND SAFETY
STAFF TRAINING, SUPERVISION AND PARTICIPATION 23
The Act provides a formula for how many days’ paid leave for approved training you
are required to provide for your health and safety representatives and is based on the
number of employees you have in your organisation as follows:
Number of employees Maximum total number of days’ paid leave the employer
must provide
1–5 2
6 – 50 6
51 – 280 1 day for every 8 employees, or part of that number
281 or more 35 days plus 5 days for every 100 employees, or part of that number24
Contractors
and visitors
Contractors and visitors are covered by the Act when they come into your workplace
and it is your responsibility to advise them of health and safety procedures and their
responsibilities in relation to these. The key things you may wish to advise on are:
• building evacuation procedures
• the need to take all practicable steps to ensure their own safety and that of
others (this includes advising a staff member of any special assistance that
may be required in case of an emergency requiring evacuation)
• reporting all accidents and near misses
• complying with health and safety policy and procedures.
Visitors and contractors can be protected against hazards by use of a combination
of signage, restricted access, supervision and security.
You should ensure that there is a record kept of all contractors and visitors on-site.
If contractors or visitors are not escorted, then you may wish to issue them with an
identity badge and have them sign an acknowledgement that they have read and
understood the health and safety visitor requirements while on the premises.
You must ensure that contractors provide you with details of any hazards that they may
bring on-site or of any hazards they may create as a result of the nature of work being
undertaken together with how these hazards may be mitigated.HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH AND SAFETY AND EVENTS 25
Health and safety
and events
Most sporting organisations are involved in event management, which requires careful
consideration of health and safety issues. If you are an event organiser, you have a duty
of care to ensure that staff, participants, spectators, volunteers and the general public
are protected from avoidable risk. It is also your responsibility to undertake a hazard
and risk assessment.
The types of hazards that you might encounter relating to health and safety
may include:
• accident and first aid matters (participant competitors, officials,
staff, spectators, volunteers)
• structural collapse
• human waste disposal
• crowd control
• lost children
• traffic
• loss of utilities (water, sewerage, etc)
• hazardous materials
• food waste disposal
• an emergency such as fire, earthquake, evacuation
• security
• communication issues
• food handling.
It is important to consider every possible hazard and risk that may occur and
manage these risks. This may require some expert advice including formation of a
committee where specific responsibilities are assigned to ensure that health and safety
responsibilities are comprehensively managed. After identifying risks and assessing
these, you need to implement a risk mitigation strategy so that risks can be either
eliminated or mitigated. If a risk occurs, you will then be prepared to deal with it
appropriately and meet your legal obligations to do so. The event risk management
process is summarised in figure 1. An example checklist from the SPARC Organisational
Risk Management Toolkit is in appendix 4.26
Event risk management process
1. Identify event
2. Identify risks and their causes
3. Identify controls
4. Conduct risk analysis
Consider Examine
likelihood impact
Determine risk level
5. Evaluate risks
Is the risk acceptable?
Yes No
Implement controls What more should
in step 3 be done? Go back
to step 3.
6. Write plan
7. Implement and
communicate plan
8. Monitor/Review
FIGURE 1: RISK MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW (ADAPTED FROM AS/NZS 4360)HEALTH AND SAFETY
HEALTH AND SAFETY AND EVENTS 27
Event management should include liaison with local government, emergency services,
Transit New Zealand (if applicable) and insurers who can support event organisers,
including providing advice on planning, required permits and licences.
More information related to health and safety and events includes:
• SPARC Organisational Risk Management Toolkit: www.sparc.org.nz
• The New Zealand Standard SNZ: HB 8669:2004 Guidelines for Risk
Management in Sport and Recreation. Available through Standards New
Zealand: www.standards.co.nz
• Safety Planning Guidelines for Events, available through
www.osh.dol.govt.nz
• Safety Planning Guidelines for Events forms, available through
www.osh.dol.govt.nz28
Appendix
30
HEALTH AND SAFETY
APPENDIX 1 31
Appendix 1
Example health and safety programme plan
{Insert your company name here}
Overall objective
To achieve the Primary level of the ACC Workplace Safety Management Practices
programme by {insert date here}.
Objective Action Plan Person Date Status1 Budget
1. Adopt and i. Review the policy, make the
implement necessary changes, and sign and
the date it
organisation’s ii. Distribute and publicise the policy
health and
safety manual iii. Establish the incident and
by {insert date injury register and meet with all
here} employees to advise them of the
process for reporting incidents
and injuries
2. Establish the i. With employee representatives,
health and agree upon the process for
safety team selection of the health and
by {insert date safety team
here} ii. Develop the timetable for the
meetings (at least quarterly)
iii. Confirm the actions that the team
will undertake for the coming year
3. Review the i. Review the organisation’s generic
hazards in the hazard register
workplace by ii. Identify site-specific hazards,
{insert date assess to see if they are significant
here} hazards and develop appropriate
controls
iii. Train staff in the methodology
iv. Undertake the necessary
workplace monitoring and
personal health monitoring
4. Complete i. Identify training needs for each job
a review position
of training ii. Establish competence level of all
practices by staff
{insert date
here} iii. Identify suitable training courses/
trainers/training programmes
1
Status refers to whether the objective is active or completed and may also record final cost if completed.32
Annual and ongoing activities
Element Action When Responsibility Status
Employer i. Review the policy Annual Health and safety
commitment representatives
Planning, review i. Review the current health Annual Health and safety
and evaluation and safety plan representatives
Annual
ii. Prepare the health and safety
plan for the coming year Annual
iii. Complete annual self-
assessment
Hazard i. Update hazard identification, Annual Health and safety
identification, including hazards associated representatives
assessment and with new or changed Monthly
management equipment
Annual
and processes
ii. Review the hazard register
to ensure that controls are in
place and effective
iii. Complete monthly workplace
inspections
iv. Undertake workplace and
personal health monitoring
Incident and i. Review and analyse the Annual Health and safety
injury reporting, incident and injury data representatives
recording and
investigation
Employee i. Health and safety Quarterly Health and safety
participation representatives to meet representatives
regularly
Emergency i. Arrange two emergency 6 monthly Health and safety
planning evacuation exercises representatives
ii. Re-examine/update the
emergency plan after each
exercise
Source: adapted from an example found at: www.acc.co.nzHazard Identification and Analysis Action
Hazard and potential Significant Practicable to Controls required Person Date of Completed
harm responsible action by
hazard? Eliminate? Isolate? Minimise? (including existing)
Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No Yes/No
Risk
category
Lifting/manual M Y Y Make arrangement with couriers to H&S rep …/… H&S rep
handling – risk of back handle heavy packages or take them
injury where they need to go …/….
Use trolley
Ask for assistance
Training in back care
Sample hazard register
Refer OSH publication Code of Practice for
Manual Handling
Computer use (VDU) M Y Y Make sure workstations are set up …/… H&S rep
Appendix 2
– risk of Occupational Vary tasks as much as possible
Overuse Syndrome …/….
(OOS) Provide OOS training
Comply with the OSH publication
Approved Code of Practice for the use of
VDUs in the Workplace
Workload – Stress L Y Y Ensure office is adequately staffed CEO …/… Annual
Ensure staff are sufficiently trained to Review by
complete work required CEO
Make sure job descriptions are clear …/….
Ensure staff use annual leave
entitlements
Loose flooring H Y Y Fix any areas of uneven flooring (temporary Office …/… Contractor
signs to warn staff) and contract flooring Manager
specialist to repair immediately .../…
APPENDIX 2
HEALTH AND SAFETY
3334
Appendix 3
Sample employee health and safety handbook
{Insert your organisation name and logo here}
Employee health and safety handbook
1.0 HEALTH AND SAFETY
It is up to all of us to create a safe and healthy workplace. We need to work together
and do all we can to prevent accidents and illness in our work environment. This
handbook provides a summary of information relevant to health and safety in the
workplace and we ask that you familiarise yourself with it. We recognise that if we
work together on all aspects of health and safety we will get a better end result. Please
refer to the full policy and procedure manual for more detail.
1.1 As your employer it is our responsibility to:
• identify, manage and control hazards to establish safe work practices
• provide information to foster awareness of health and safety
• provide protective clothing and equipment as required
• make adequate preparations for emergencies
• record all accidents and ‘near misses’ and investigate where necessary to
ensure future accidents are avoided
• ensure you are properly trained and supervised to do your work in a
healthy and safe manner
• provide reasonable opportunities for you to be involved in health and
safety.
1.2 As an employee it is your responsibility to:
• contribute to the process of hazard identification, analysis and control
• ensure all work accidents and illnesses are reported and recorded
• use any protective clothing and equipment provided
• not undertake any work which is unsafe
• look out for the safety of fellow employees
• observe all workplace safety rules and hazard controls.
1.3 Induction
On joining the company you will be given information on our health and safety
procedures, health and safety representatives, access to first aid and evacuation
procedures. You will also be given a list of all hazards identified in our workplace
(hazard register) and the location of all safety equipment.
1.4 Hazard identification
We are all responsible for identifying potential hazards in the workplace. A list of
identified hazards should be included in your induction pack. Please let your health and
safety representative know if you see anything you consider hazardous so he/she can
add this to the hazard register and take action to prevent this from causing harm.HEALTH AND SAFETY
APPENDIX 3 35
1.5 Getting involved in health and safety – employee participation
We are keen to encourage employees to share in the management of health and
safety in the workplace. If you wish to be involved please let our Health and Safety
Representative know.
1.6 First aid
We have first aid people who are trained to assist with emergencies. Please ensure
they are aware of any medical conditions you have which may need special treatment
should an emergency arise.
1.7 Smoking
All areas within the building are designated non-smoking. Smoking is permitted in
[area] outside.
2.0 HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES
2.1 Dealing with accidents
We are required to report all accidents, as part of our process of identifying and
dealing with hazards. All accidents must be recorded in the accident register, which
includes a record of every accident or incident (including ‘near misses’) at work.
When an incident occurs in the workplace please follow these steps:
• Make sure the injured person has received the required medical attention
(i.e. first aid, doctor or ambulance, depending on the severity of the
accident).
• Tell the Health and Safety Representative, who will carry out an
investigation and record the incident in the accident register.
When an accident involving serious harm occurs:
• don’t move the injured person
• seek appropriate medical assistance
• advise the Health and Safety Representative
• occupational Safety and Health (OSH) may wish to inspect the scene,
so don’t interfere with the accident scene unless:
– the person’s life is in danger
– it is essential to maintain access for the public to essential services
– it is necessary to prevent damage to, or loss of, property
• advise the local OSH branch as soon as possible by phone, fax or email
• cooperate with any investigation conducted
• send written confirmation (accident register) to OSH within seven days
• take steps to eliminate, isolate or minimise any identified hazard as soon
as possible.36
2.2 Building evacuation procedure
As part of our health and safety programme, employees are required to be fully
conversant with the procedure to follow in the event of a fire or earthquake. Please
familiarise yourself with these procedures. Some key reminders are outlined below:
Fire safety
How to be fire safe:
• Don’t block fire exits
• Keep fire doors closed
• Take care with flammable materials
• Know the fire drill procedure (and who your fire wardens are)
• Know where fire extinguishers are located and how to use them.
In the event of a fire:
• if possible, operate the nearest fire alarm
• call 111
• use a fire extinguisher IF IT IS SAFE
• evacuate the building following the procedures below.
If you hear the fire alarm:
• immediately vacate the building via the closest fire exit (don’t use the lifts)
– refer to your organisation’s evacuation procedures here as appropriate
• make sure any visitors leave the building with you
• walk, don’t run
• don’t return for personal belongings
• keep to the left of the stairs
• report to the designated meeting point and don’t return until the all clear
is given.
Earthquake safety
To be earthquake safe, eliminate hazards such as:
• unsecured bookcases, shelves, cabinets, audiovisual equipment
• blocked doorways and passageways.
In the event of an earthquake:
• move away from windows and anything that could be dangerous if it falls
(e.g. partitions, bookshelves)
• find cover under tables, desks, doorways
• be prepared for aftershocks.
After the earthquake:
• evacuate if instructed to do so (it could be safer inside than out) using the
following procedure – refer to your organisation’s own evacuation
procedures here
• check for injuries – first aiders to assist with treatment
• check for hazards – beware of broken glass, live wires, and damage to
floors, walls and ceilings
• extinguish any fires.HEALTH AND SAFETY
APPENDIX 3 37
3.0 WORKPLACE INJURY PREVENTION
Our aim is to prevent injury from occurring and provide the support required for you to
work safely in your workplace. Below are some common workplace hazards and ways
to help you avoid harm occurring from these hazards.
3.1 Visual display unit (VDU)
One of the most significant hazards in our environment is the VDU – this includes the
computer screen, keyboard and mouse. We will make all reasonable endeavours to
ensure you have a fully functional workstation that meets your needs. Where required,
a workstation assessment (example workplace assessment questions attached at the
back of this handbook) can be conducted to ensure your desk, chair, computer and
other office equipment are set up to minimise any potential risks.
Please see the diagram at the back of this handbook for the correct ergonomic set-up
for your workstation. Your health and safety representative will help you to set your
workstation up correctly to ensure you continue to work safely at your computer.
And remember you don’t necessarily need ergonomic equipment to set your
workstation up correctly. For example, a telephone book is one way to lift your screen
up to the correct eye level!
3.2 Occupational Overuse Syndrome (OOS)
OOS refers to a range of conditions characterised by pain or discomfort in the muscles,
tendons, and other soft tissues. Symptoms can include:
• Burning sensation
• Stiffness, aches and pains
• Soreness and weakness
• Numbness and tingling
• Muscle discomfort.
To minimise these symptoms always make sure you pause briefly (micro pause) when
completing repetitive tasks. For example, when working on a computer, pause every
3-5 minutes for 5-10 seconds, shake your wrists and stretch your fingers. Ensure you
maintain a good posture when working at your computer. Stand up and stretch as
often as you can. Ensure your mouse is located next to your keyboard so there is no
need to overreach. Use a mouse pad with a wrist support and an ergonomic keyboard.
If symptoms persist contact your health and safety representative.38
3.3 Eye strain
Symptoms can include:
• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Gritty tired eyes
• Sore and red eyes
• Dry or watery eyes.
To minimise these symptoms make sure you pause every few minutes and look away
from the screen. Minimise glare from light sources (e.g. tilt screen to avoid overhead
glare). Wherever possible, work in natural light. Use a copy holder if frequently copy
typing work on a PC. Make sure your screen viewing distance is 450 to 700mm.
If symptoms persist contact your health and safety representative.
3.4 Back pain
• Use equipment (e.g. trolley) to move heavy objects.
• Don’t use your back like a crane.
• Know your own strength – ask someone to help.
If you suffer from back problems at work, contact your health and safety
representative.
3.5 Workplace stress
You are the best judge of whether stress is having a detrimental effect on your health.
If you feel unable to cope as a result of workload, or other stressors in your role or your
personal life, please talk to someone you trust, e.g. your manager, your health and
safety representative, a counsellor, a colleague. Stress has the potential to cause harm
and we will do all we can to eliminate, isolate or minimise sources of stress to help you
perform your role in a safe and healthy environment.HEALTH AND SAFETY
APPENDIX 3 39
You and your workstation
Posture Desk
• Shoulders – keep low and relaxed. • There should be no movement or
• Upper arms – should be straight up vibration during normal use.
and down. • The height range should be 600-
• Elbows – keep tucked close to the 845mm (usually 720-730mm).
body and bent 90–110° so that
forearms are horizontal or gently
450-700m• m
Desk top needs to be thin to allow
comfortable legroom.
sloping upwards. • Ensure there is space to rest wrists
• Wrists – need to be comfortably on, between the edge of the desk
straight. Can be bent up slightly. and the front of the keyboard
Avoid bending wrists sideways. (100mm).
Chair – general Screen
• Ensure chair swivels easily and is • Height, swivel and vertical tilt should
stable when force is applied to front, adjust.
sides or back. • Viewing distance of 450-700mm
• It should move freely on castors. (general measure of one arm’s length
away from body).
Chair – seat • Angle of view 10–30° below
• Should be comfortable but
horizontal to the middle of the
firm enough to allow ease of posture
screen.
changes.
• Allow space between the front of the Copy holder
seat and the back of the calf. • Use to avoid leaning forward while
reading.
Chair – armrests • Position – place either beside the
• Can limit posture changes and make
screen or between the keyboard and
it difficult to reach work.
the screen.
• If used ensure they have no sharp
• Position centrally or change from side
edges and support the elbows and
to side regularly.
forearms well.
• They must allow the chair to be Keyboard & mouse
drawn up to the desk and have room • Stable and separate from screen.
to move freely in the seat. • Mouse should be at the same level as
the keyboard.
Chair – seat height
• Feet should be flat on the floor or on Footrest
a footrest to avoid pressure under the • Large enough to allow feet sufficient
thighs. Avoid sloping the thighs too room to move (400mm x 400mm
much. suggested).
• You should be able to make • Nonslip top, angled slightly (0–10°).
adjustment whilst seated.
• Stable and positioned close
to user.
• Adjustable to the specific height
required.
FIGURE 1: CORRECT ERGONOMIC POSITIONINGYou can also read
