RECENT NEWS

Recent News Request a Consultation New ACOPs for Agriculture WorkSafe has released two new Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) for the agriculture sector, with both coming into effect on 1 April 2027 alongside the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026. What is an ACOP? An Approved Code of Practice sets out one recognised way of meeting health and safety duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. While ACOPs are not mandatory, they carry more weight than genera

A lot of workplace health and safety conversations focus on obvious hazards. We talk about moving machinery, working at height, hazardous substances, vehicles, noise, and other risks that are easy to see. Those hazards deserve attention, but they are often not the things that catch experienced workers off guard. Sometimes the biggest risk is familiarity. When you've performed the same task hundreds of times, it's natural to become comfortable with it. You know the process, un

Most people don't think much about machinery guards. They're just... there. Until one isn't. It's easy to trust a machine that's been doing the same job for years without incident. A conveyor runs smoothly. A saw starts when it should. A PTO shaft spins exactly as expected. The trouble is that machinery only needs one missing guard, one damaged component, or one missed check for things to go badly wrong. A recent WorkSafe prosecution involving an unguarded PTO shaft serves a

Most employers understand how to manage physical hazards. If a floor is slippery, it can be cleaned. If machinery is dangerous, guarding can be installed. If noise levels are high, hearing protection can be provided. Psychosocial risks can be more challenging because they are often less visible. Workload pressures, conflicting priorities, poor communication, workplace conflict, and unclear expectations can all affect people's wellbeing and ability to perform their work safely

By Sara Crawford. Winter can bring extra challenges for many workplaces, particularly where workers are outdoors, moving between sites, working early starts, or exposed to cold, wet or windy conditions. Even when temperatures are not extreme, winter weather can affect concentration, visibility, energy levels and overall wellbeing. This can increase the likelihood of mistakes, slips, trips, manual handling injuries, equipment damage and workers taking shortcuts to get the job

Pressure is part of modern working life in New Zealand. Tight deadlines, shifting priorities, weather disruptions, staff shortages and increasing client expectations are familiar to many of us. In some industries, pressure is not the exception; it is the baseline. However, while pressure itself is not inherently dangerous, unmanaged and sustained pressure can become a workplace hazard. Understanding where that line sits is increasingly important for businesses, especially as