The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has announced it is consulting on a new discussion paper Implementing the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: Better regulation – Plant, structures and working at heights.

MBIE is reviewing some of the regulations that sit under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

The discussion paper seeks feedback on how to improve protections for people working with plant, structures, heights and excavations.

MBIE wants to make sure the regulatory framework effectively supports businesses to manage risks without disproportionate costs or hurdles, while protecting workers from harm.

Plant, structures, working at heights and excavation work is being looked at first because they are involved in 76 percent of work-related deaths and the current regulations are weak, ad hoc, out of date and difficult to understand.

Because the current rules are unclear there is over compliance and increased costs. Although these risks have been around forever they are still not being managed well.

Reforming the health and safety regulations is part of the work to address the issues identified by both the Royal Commission on the Pike River Coal Mine Tragedy and the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety.

Consultations on the paper close on 4 October 2019.