Kia ora koutou and welcome to the last edition of Kanohi Kitea, our Health and Safety Representative (HSR) newsletter, for 2023.

This edition marks one year of Kanohi Kitea, and we’re hoping to hear from our community of engaged HSRs about how this newsletter has played a part in your growth and development as a representative, and if the information and resources we share are helpful for your workplace.

In this edition, we will also:

• conclude our three-part series on Health and Safety Committees
• discuss recent changes to the Health and Safety Representative and Committees Amendment Act, and what this means for your role
• provide information on general enquiries to WorkSafe over the holiday period.

If you have any questions about the information in this newsletter contact us on HSRSupport@worksafe.govt.nz

As we close out the year, our HSR support team at WorkSafe is keen to understand how the Kanohi Kitea newsletter is supporting you in your role as an HSR, and what content you’d like to see more of in the future.

Please take a moment to answer our short survey about the Kanohi Kitea editions you’ve read, your favourite HSR-related topics, and your ideas for upcoming newsletters.

The survey will take about 5 minutes to complete.

We appreciate your commitment to making your workplace a safer, healthier place to work, and your feedback on how WorkSafe can better support HSRs.

In our two previous editions of Kanohi Kitea, we focused on frequently asked questions about Health and Safety Committees (HSCs), including the purpose of HSCs and how to establish an HSC in your organisation.

This edition concludes our three-part series by exploring how to run an effective HSC in your workplace.

What to discuss in an HSC meeting

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 gives workers and HSRs the freedom to decide how they organise and run the committee meetings in their organisation.

While no two HSCs look exactly the same, you’ve told us that it’s not always clear what types of issues can be raised during a committee meeting, and how to best use the time you have with decision makers and fellow HSRs in your workplace.

Potential topics of discussion

At committee meetings, it’s important that everyone has an opportunity to contribute and have their voice heard.

Below are some suggested topics to maximise time with your fellow members:

Consider past incidents and near misses

Example: Evaluate what happened and determine what actions the committee could take to prevent future incidents.

Identify specific health and safety risks and hazards for your workplace, and suggest possible mitigations

Example: If you and your kaimahi work outside in the summer months, discuss what mitigations can be made to protect workers from sun exposure and heat.

Read our quick guide on identifying, assessing and managing work risks

Have an open round table discussion

Example: Raise problems or concerns and brainstorm solutions.

Check in on HSR training, planned future training, and training entitlements

Example: Keep a training record for each HSR in your committee, and ensure that kaimahi use their training entitlement of two days per year.

Tips for running productive committee meeting

Some ideas for running productive committee meeting to apply in your workplace:

Create meeting agendas and keep minutes

The agenda will create structure for your meetings, and the minutes will help your committee record and track discussions, approvals, changes in process, and decisions.

Have a rotating committee chair

Rotating the chair will keep members engaged and ensure everyone has an opportunity to have their voice heard.

Record actions for your decision makers

Make it easy for your business representative with decision making abilities to execute their actions by documenting what your committee needs, the process to complete the action, and a timeline.

WorkSafe has updated the worker engagement, participation and representation good practice guidelines and the interpretive guidelines that explain the legal requirements for Health and Safety Representatives and Health and Safety Committees.

These guidelines have been updated to reflect the changes introduced by the Health and Safety at Work (Health and Safety Representatives and Committees) Amendment Act (June 2023).

The changes include:

• If a worker asks for a Health and Safety Representative, the business must initiate an election. Previously, smaller businesses in sectors that were not prescribed high-risk could decline these requests.
• If a Health and Safety Representative or five or more workers ask for a Health and Safety Committee, the business must establish one. Previously, a business could refuse a request to establish a committee where the business is satisfied existing practices sufficiently meet the requirements.

The Act does not make Health and Safety Representatives or Health and Safety Committees mandatory for businesses. Businesses will only be required to initiate an election for representatives, or establish a committee where workers request them.

We encourage you to take a moment to familiarise yourself with these guidelines, and think about how they may apply to your workplace.

Our call centre will be closed for general enquires, from 5pm on Friday 22 December 2023 to 8.30am on Wednesday 3 January 2024.

As an HSR, you have stepped up to the wero (challenge) to advocate for your teammates and create better health and safety outcomes for your organisation. 

Whether 2023 was your first year as an HSR or your tenth, thank you for your service as a representative, and for doing your part to ensure better health and safety outcomes for workers in Aotearoa.

Read previous editions of Kanohi Kitea
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Kanohi Kitea - the importance of meeting face-to-face; a face that is known and seen within a community; to be seen and to represent.