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The recent release of the "Health and Safety Governance: A Good Practice Guide" by the Institute of Directors in New Zealand (IoD) and WorkSafe New Zealand marks a significant milestone in promoting safer workplaces across the country. This guide, along with its supplementary quick guide and self-assessment tool, provides comprehensive insights and actionable strategies for enhancing health and safety governance.
As OHS Consultants, we believe this new guidance offers an excellent opportunity for businesses to reassess and strengthen their health and safety protocols. In this blog, we'll explore the key takeaways from the guide and discuss how our expert consulting services can help your organization implement these best practices effectively.
Key Highlights from the Guide
Comprehensive Governance Framework The guide emphasizes the importance of integrating health and safety governance into the broader organizational governance framework. It outlines six key areas of due diligence for officers, including acquiring and updating health and safety knowledge, understanding the business's risk profile, ensuring access to necessary resources, and verifying the effectiveness of health and safety systems.
The Role of the Officer Officers, including directors and senior leaders, are responsible for ensuring their organizations comply with health and safety duties. This involves proactive engagement, asking the right questions, and validating the information received to ensure effective risk management.
Principles of Good Governance The guide identifies five core principles for health and safety governance: learning and development, anticipating and understanding risks, planning and resourcing, trust and verification, and monitoring and responding. These principles are designed to create a proactive safety culture within organizations.
The 5Cs: Courage, Capability, Curiosity, Context, and Care Effective health and safety governance requires officers to embody these five characteristics. This means having the courage to address difficult issues, continuously building capability, maintaining curiosity about the real working conditions, understanding the context of operations, and demonstrating genuine care for workers.
Self-Assessment Tool The self-assessment review tool included in the guide allows organizations to evaluate their current health and safety governance practices. This tool helps identify strengths and areas needing improvement, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.
How OHS Consultants Can Help
At OHS Consultants, we are committed to helping organizations achieve excellence in health and safety governance. Our services are designed to align with the recommendations of the new guide, ensuring that your business not only complies with regulatory requirements but also fosters a culture of safety and well-being.
Expert Advisory Services Our team of seasoned health and safety professionals can provide tailored advice and guidance to your organization's leaders. We help you understand the legal requirements, best practices, and practical steps needed to enhance your health and safety governance.
Training and Development We offer comprehensive training programs for officers and employees to build their health and safety knowledge and capabilities. Our training is aligned with the latest standards and best practices, ensuring your team is well-equipped to manage risks effectively.
Governance Audits and Assessments Our auditing services include thorough reviews of your current health and safety governance systems. Using the self-assessment tool from the guide, we identify gaps and provide actionable recommendations to strengthen your processes.
Implementation Support We assist in the practical implementation of the guide's recommendations. From developing robust governance frameworks to establishing effective reporting and verification systems, our experts work alongside your team to ensure seamless integration.
Where to from here?
Ensure your organization leads the way in health and safety governance. Contact OHS Consultants today to schedule a consultation and learn how we can support your journey towards a safer, more compliant workplace.
Contact Us:
Phone: 0800 852 535
Email: admin@ohsconsultants.co.nz
Website: www.ohsconsultants.co.nz
By prioritizing health and safety governance, you are not only complying with legal obligations but also demonstrating a commitment to the well-being of your workforce. Let's work together to create safer workplaces for everyone.
Below are the Quick Version or the report, the Full Version as well as a Self-Assessment.
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