Minister welcomes taskforce consultation

Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson has welcomed the Safer Workplaces consultation document launched by the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety today.

“The Pike River tragedy was the catalyst for me to set up the Independent Taskforce earlier this year to undertake the first strategic review of our workplace health and safety system in 20 years. I’m pleased to see the start of public consultation as part of this work,” Ms Wilkinson says.

“New Zealand’s workplace death and injury rates are unacceptable. People have a right to know that when they leave for work in the morning, they will be coming home safe and well at the end of the day.”

The Taskforce is expected to make recommendations to the Government by 30 April next year on measures to achieve the Government’s goal of a 25 per cent reduction in workplace deaths and serious injuries by 2020.

“The Government is already taking action across a range of fronts to ensure we get better results, including a boost to workplace health and safety funding by $37 million in Budget 2012,” Ms Wilkinson says.

Government initiatives to improve workplace health and safety include:

• Action plans, in collaboration with industry, which target the sectors where the most harm is occurring– construction, agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, fishing and occupational health
• The establishment of the High Hazards Unit
• More frontline health and safety inspectors