Info kit good – challenge now is to make health and safety a priority on the ground

The Council of Trade Unions has welcomed a new health and safety information pack released by the Minister of Labour today, and says that the challenge now is to implement good practises.

“Recognition that health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, and that investment in staff welfare and development makes good business sense is encouraging, and confirms our view on the key role of health and safety in productive workplaces,” CTU secretary Carol Beaumont said.

“The report’s findings and their case studies provide the practical framework which the Health and Safety in Employment Act sets down. It recognises the importance of a collaborative approach towards managing health and safety, through employee participation and a commitment by management towards resources for health and safety management.”

“The challenge for companies and organisations now is to recognise this and make health and safety a top priority.”

“This means having people in worksites with named responsibility for health and safety, through worker participation of elected health and safety reps, and the employer implementing a health and safety management plan.”

“For our part, the CTU is proud to have trained 18,000 health and safety reps elected under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.”

“Elected health and safety reps make an important contribution to improving New Zealand’s safety culture. This representative model of worker participation is a significant step towards a productive, participative workplace,” Carol Beaumont said.