By Vaughan Granier
Welcome to part six of our series on how to become an Accredited Employer with Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
A safe workplace isn’t just one without any incidents, accidents, or injuries – it’s a workplace that has committed to and consistently looks for ways to create and maintain the safest possible working environment.
In this article, I explain how taking workplace safety seriously is all about record-keeping.
Let’s get started…
Proving that you’re taking workplace safety seriously is all about record-keeping. A business could have an unsafe workplace but by pure luck have never had any incidents. Another business may have occasional workplace incidents and accidents – even serious ones, like a fall from a height – but can demonstrate that they’re working proactively and positively to create a safe working environment for all.
In the examples above, INZ is more inclined to favourably consider the latter workplace, because the business can show what it’s doing to create a safer environment for workers.
Proving Health & Safety
The way that you prove your commitment to a safe workplace is by having the right Health & Safety (H&S) records and systems. And record-keeping can’t be faked: either the documents are there, or they aren’t.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of the kinds of documents and practices that will demonstrate to INZ your commitment to H&S:
| Document Name | Purpose |
| Health & Safety Policy** | Sets out your business’s commitment to establishing Health & Safety in the workplace. Establishes consultation, communication and representation protocols. May include emergency planning. |
| Health & Safety Audit Reports | Reports from audits that show variances or compliance with documented processes, policies and procedures. |
| Health & Safety Representatives Register and minutes of meetings | Details of all employee H&S representatives, nominations/elections and minutes of all meetings. |
| Health and Safety Committee Meetings and minutes** | Details of all committee members, and minutes of all meetings. |
| Hazard and Risk Register** | An up-to-date register of all current risks and hazards identified in the workplace, and strategies to minimise/manage those risks to acceptable levels. |
| Toolbox Talk Meetings and minutes** | Safety meetings with employees, either at the workplace or on-site, where risks are assessed, specific issues are highlighted, information is shared, and feedback is obtained. The duty to consult means that this record should also show worker involvement in incident investigation and risk mitigation. |
| Incident Reporting** | A system of documents and processes to report incidents, classify them and strategies and systems to resolve/manage the risks. |
| Incident Investigation | A system of documents and processes to investigate any notable incident, assess causes, develop management strategies, and mitigate the chance of a reoccurrence. |
| Return to Work Policy and Processes** | A system to assist injured employees to receive treatment and return to the workforce. |
| Hazardous Substances Registers | A system to manage the storage, isolation, use and environmental impact of any hazardous substance on site. |
| Safe Working Procedures | Documented processes and procedures for the safe use of equipment or performance of workplace tasks. |
If your records and systems are not yet in place, or you’ve only recently set them up, you’ll likely have minimal (or no) historical records. Fortunately, the key factor in successfully demonstrating strong health and safety isn’t necessarily having a long history, but showing that you’ve put these documented systems in place and are using them consistently.
Be aware that no matter how small your business is, there’s still a minimum level of compliance required to demonstrate to INZ your good-faith commitment to health and safety within the workplace – in the list above, we’ve marked with a double-asterisk (**) the documents and systems necessary to achieve this minimum level of compliance. Many small employers have fewer formal health and safety systems, and these may not be well documented; in such cases, the size and resources of the business would likely be taken into account when assessing your application for accreditation.
Remember that your goal as a business owner or manager should always be to create a safer workplace every day. If you operate with this principle and implement the right systems, then building and maintaining an open, robust, and effective Health & Safety system won’t be a problem.
Managing your Health & Safety is a vital part of your employer responsibilities. If you need advice and support to help ensure your business’s H&S is up to scratch, HR Assured can help. As well as unlimited use to our 24/7 Telephone Advisory Service, clients of HR Assured can also access our complete H&S Management System which is part of our subscription.
Other articles in the series:
Vaughan Granier is the National Workplace Relations Manager for HR Assured NZ. He has over 24 years’ experience in international human resources, health and safety, and workplace relations management. With over 13 years working in New Zealand and Australian companies, he provides in-depth support to leadership teams across all areas of HR, Health and Safety, and employee management.