The Employers and Manufacturers Association is pleased with the announcement today for a new, single-focus workplace health and safety agency to be established.

“EMA has been lobbying for some years for precisely such an agency aimed solely at improving our workplace health and safety record,” said Paul Jarvie, EMA’s Manager of OH&S.

“This announcement is most welcome,” he said.

“But we urge caution; some hard, bold decisions have still to be made.

 “We don’t want to see the same old culture we have had before transferred from OSH and the former Department of Labour into the new agency.

 “There must be structural and delivery changes to how the new agency operates.

“The new organisation must lift itself and business to a whole new level of health and safety actions, to the benefit of both employers and employees.

“Our advocacy has been for all health and safety agencies to come under the one body, albeit delivering different products and services to different customers as New Zealand is too small to maintain the plethora of injury prevention agencies we currently have. For example MBIE and ACC at present separately undertake injury prevention activities.

“We will be looking for a single agency to coordinate resources, create better efficiencies, and above all take a collaborative and consistent approach for employers and employees.

“EMA would be pleased to help ensure these outcomes.”