Many businesses find meeting health and safety requirements in NZ complicated. The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) defines the duties of PCBUs (Persons conducting a business or undertaking), officers, and workers. Yet, countless small and medium businesses still do not fully understand what this means in practice.
WorkSafe focuses heavily on compliance and conducts many inspections and audits every year. According to WorkSafe data, 40% of all improvement notices issued in 2024 were concerned with the lack of training and unsafe practices.
This blog breaks down HSWA into everyday language, identifies the top three compliance blind spots you might not be aware of, and provides a checklist for determining whether a training session is needed.
1. PPE Isn’t Enough
Wearing PPE doesn’t mean you are ticking the compliance box. HSAW training dictates that the correct training be taken to ensure correct PPE use, equipment upkeep, and knowing when to replace these items. Many workers miss essential refresher training, leaving themselves and their employers unnecessarily exposed to risk.
2. Hazardous Substances Are Overlooked
Even low-volume chemicals like cleaning agents fall under hazardous substance regulations. Many workplaces still don’t provide safe handling training. WorkSafe reported that hazardous substances contribute to 600–900 deaths annually in NZ, often from long-term exposure, with 1 in 3 businesses manufacturing, handling, or storing hazardous substances.
3. Emergency Preparedness is Incomplete
Your staff isn’t safe just because you have a first aid kit tossed into the back of the cupboard or a fire extinguisher mounted on a wall in the back break room. HWSA requires that workers be trained or competent in responding to emergencies. They also noted that one in three businesses did not have a trained first aider or fire department on site.
Inadequate training has real and costly consequences in the workplace, for example:
- Auckland Airport: A wildlife ranger lost two fingertips after mishandling a pyrotechnic launcher to keep wild geese at bay. WorkSafe attributed the incident to inadequate training, forcing Auckland Airport into an enforceable undertaking and safety overhaul.
- Waikato Farm: R&L Drainage was fined $275,000 after a trench collapse left a worker with life-threatening injuries. WorkSafe found no safe work system or adequate training in place.
- Auckland Food Plant: An egg processing worker lost their thumb due to unguarded machinery. The company was fined $200,000 plus reparations, with WorkSafe highlighting that correct guarding and safety training could have prevented the injury.
Ask yourself the following…
- Do staff working at heights have up-to-date harness and fall protection training?
- Have workers handling or exposed to asbestos completed an approved awareness or removal course?
- Have you trained fire wardens, first aiders, and PPE users on every shift?
- Have health and safety reps completed their Stage 1 or Stage 2 training?
- Are refresher courses scheduled every 2–3 years to maintain compliance?
If you answered no to the above, it’s time to act.
If reading the above makes you feel slightly uneasy, do not worry. HWSA and remaining compliant do not need to be overwhelming. When you focus on the required training in the right parts of your business, you can reduce risk, avoid penalties, and protect your most valuable asset, your people.
Trust SureSafety to deliver practical, NZ-specific training to keep your business compliant and your workers safe.
Book your workplace health and safety training with SureSafety today, and give your team the knowledge, skills, and confidence to stay safe.
