The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment calling on HR professionals and employers to have their say on a discussion document outlining proposals for new health and safety regulations.
The discussion document–
Developing regulations to support the new Health and Safety at Work Act – has just been released and is part of the Government's
Working Safer package of reforms, which aims to reduce New Zealand's workplace serious injury and death toll by 25% by 2020.
The proposals for regulations have been developed to support the new Health and Safety at Work Act to be created by the passage of the Health and Safety Reform Bill. The regulations will play a part in ensuring the new health and safety regime is practical for all workplaces as well as robust.
The discussion document outlines proposals for the first phase of regulations. The document covers five key areas:
- General risk and workplace management
- Worker participation, engagement and representation
- Work involving asbestos
- Work involving hazardous substances; and
- Major hazard facilities.
Submissions are now open on the discussion document. Find more information on the proposed regulations and the submission process
here. The submission period closes on July 18 2014.
Additionally ACC is seeking feedback on its proposed reductions to the work and earner levies along with motor vehicle levies and ACC petrol levy.
Proposed changes to levies in 2015/16
- combined average motor vehicle levy reduced from $330.68 to $200 (40% reduction)
- petrol levy reduced from 9.9 cents to 5.9 cents per litre (40% reduction)
- average work levy reduced from $0.95 to $0.75 per $100 of liable earnings (21% reduction)
- earners’ levy reduced from $1.26 to $1.20 per $100 of liable earnings (5% reduction).
Other changes that ACC is proposing for 2015/16 include:
- increasing the minimum and maximum liable earnings limits for work and earners’ levies.
To find out more about the proposed changes, go to
www.acc.co.nz/levyconsultation. Submissions are due by 5pm June 17, 2014.
