Available statistics from the construction industry across the world indicate that over 90 percent of all accidents that occur at construction sites are indeed preventable. The common safety risks identified include employees being struck by construction materials, falls from heights, electrocution and employees being caught between construction machinery. These are safety risks that can be addressed by having a Construction Site Safety Plan.
Like in other countries around the world, New Zealand’s Occupational Health and Safety legislation makes it mandatory for all contractors to prepare and put in place an appropriate safety plan to eliminate or control safety within their construction sites. Contraction companies doing business in New Zealand are required to prepare a Construction Site Safety Plan for every construction project they undertake. This is so because different construction sites present different safety risks.
There are however standard details that all safety plans must embrace. For instance, all safety plans must indicate a construction site’s address, the principle contractor and any sub-contractors involved in the construction. Other details include those of architecture and designer responsible for construction works. Lastly, the plan contains details about when a project commences and expected completion date.
In order to ensure that what a Construction Site Safety Plan contains is actually implemented, all contractors are required to appoint a group of people from amongst employees to oversee the implementation of the plan. As a matter of fact, it is this group that is responsible for preparing a safety plan. Developing an effective safety plan therefore means that the group should have membership drawn from all departments. The names of members are usually captured in the plan as the people responsible for the plan and who employees can report to directly in case of any arising safety issues.
The most important section of a Construction Site Safety Plan is usually the part that deals with communication and rules. It is in this section that employees need to find the necessary procedures of handling construction materials and equipments. It is also in this section that employees need to obtain the necessary instructions on how to handle and communicate safety issues they identify while working.
Like in the US, the different regions of New Zealand have their own mechanisms of enforcing Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) legislations. This is definitely in partnership with the national agency responsible for enforcing the same. Contractors who fail to comply with OHS requirements face stiff penalties, which include financial penalties and in extreme cases, license revocation.
The need for health and safety at workplaces worldwide cannot be understated. Many jurisdictions across the world have made it mandatory for all employers to provide their employees with healthy working environments free of all kinds of risks. Where such risks cannot be eliminated, employers are obligated to institute necessary measures including training of workers on the same. This is the case in New Zealand where appropriate legislations have been enacted to ensure that employers carry out what is required of them.
All of New Zealand’s safety legislations are contained in the Health and Safety in Employment (HSE) legislation, an act of parliament enacted in 1992. The Health and Safety Legislation supports various principles including placing the primary responsibility of providing healthy and safe working environment on employers. The act also recognizes the fact that workers too have a role to play in enhancing their own safety at their workplaces. The act encourages the need for a close working relationship between both employers and employers to bring the two sets of responsibilities together for the realization of intended goals.
Unlike most workplace legislations in other countries, the New Zealand’s Health and Safety Legislation does not impose specific requirements on both employers and employees. Instead, the act requires every employer to engage his/her employees in designing a systematic and flexible health and safety measures applicable in their workplaces. Such however must be in line with the provisions of the act, codes of practice and best practice guidelines. In this regard, all employers are required to set in motion mechanisms of designing appropriate health and safety programs by incorporating the input of their employees and professional with the expertise in their respective businesses.
In order to enhance health and safety of employees, the New Zealand’s Health and Safety Legislation (Act) was subjected to amendments in 2002. The amendments extended its jurisdiction to cover employees working aboard ships and aircrafts. The amendments also introduced clauses covering employees seconded by one employer to another and volunteer employees. More importantly, the amendments placed other health and safety responsibilities on equipment manufacturers and sellers.
Although New Zealand’s Health and Safety Legislation apportions some health and safety responsibilities on employees, employers bear the greatest responsibilities. To ensure that their workplaces are healthy and safe, they are required to identify and systematically manage the identified risks by eliminating or minimizing the same. They are also required to provide their employees with appropriate protective clothing and equipments in addition to providing heir employees with health and safety information, including appropriate training.
