October Newsletter 2026 | New Farm Safety ACOPs and a Quick Health & Safety Check-In
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 general guidance and can be used as evidence in court proceedings when determining whether a duty holder has met their obligations.
Put simply, an ACOP helps answer the question:
"What does good practice look like?"
If you work in farming, contracting, or provide services on farms, these are worth becoming familiar with now:
Why are these ACOPs important?
Agriculture continues to be one of New Zealand's highest-risk industries, with serious harm and fatalities regularly linked to farm vehicles, machinery, changing terrain, and the complexity of multiple people and businesses working together on farm.
The new ACOPs provide practical guidance on:
Managing overlapping duties between farmers, workers, contractors, suppliers, and others
Clarifying responsibilities while recognising that legal duties cannot simply be handed to someone else
Improving communication, coordination, and cooperation on farm
Safer operation of farm vehicles and attached machinery
Managing changing conditions, operator capability, maintenance, and risks to children and young people
Whether you're a farmer, contractor, supplier, or farm worker, these documents provide a useful benchmark for understanding health and safety expectations and supporting safer work practices across the sector.
Mental Health Awareness Week
Belonging matters.
From the 12th of October, Mental Health Awareness Week officially starts!
This makes a great time to touch base with your team and see how they’re getting on.
How does belonging show up in your workplace?
Has Your Health and Safety System Kept Pace with Your Business?
Growth is a good thing, but it can sometimes expose gaps in systems that once worked well. Ask yourself…
Has your team grown since your health and safety system was developed?
Are contractors becoming a bigger part of your day-to-day operations?
Does health and safety feel increasingly reactive rather than planned?
Would a new worker clearly understand what's expected of them?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, it may be worth reviewing whether your health and safety management system is still keeping pace with your business.
How are we doing?
We’re always looking for ways to improve; your feedback means a lot to us!
Consultant’s Corner
By Tracey Murphy.
New Plant, Equipment, or Tasks
“It’s exciting to get new plant or equipment. Hopefully, it means more productivity, improved efficiency and increased safety. There is often a high dollar value in our new gear, and we want to see immediate results
However, there are a couple of steps we need to take before we start using the gear, to make sure we are productive, efficient and safe.
The first step is a risk assessment. Identify the hazards and risks that the new gear presents. Decide on the best controls and implement them; these can range from noise to dust to pinch points. Review the manufacturer's manual and trial the plant or equipment in a controlled environment. Look at it step by step to identify the hazards and risks – from pre-operation to shut down.
The second step is training. You may get familiarisation training with the provider. Even so, you should ensure that there are simple to follow instructions for your team. This is likely to take the form of a standard operating procedure or SOP.
Ensure that all team members who will be operating the plant or equipment are trained before using it. Once first used, review the risk assessment and SOP to check that they are correct.
Follow the same process with new or updated tasks. Just because it is almost the same as the existing task, doesn’t mean that the hazards and risks haven’t changed. Do a risk assessment, review the SOP and provide training if required.”
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