New health and safety legislation could prove costly for homeowners
Category: Latest News
14 Mar 2016
New workplace legislation could be costly for homeowners if businesses pass on the cost of health and safety requirements, Blenheim businesses say.
Laser Electrical Blenheim director Brendon Adams questions who will pay for the time spent on health and safety.
The Health and Safety at Work Act, which comes into effect next month, aims to get businesses to take a more proactive stance on identifying and managing hazards.
But Laser Electrical Blenheim director Brendon Adams questioned who would pay for the time spent on health and safety.
The company specialised in the installation of electrical fittings, for both commercial and residential customers.
Adams said he had introduced a levy to charge clients who required the company to review health and safety documents or submit paperwork before starting a job.
For some jobs, Laser Electrical had to provide documentation for every step workers took, from placing cones to parking vehicles, he said.
He was worried this would become commonplace when the act took effect on April 4.
In the past three months, there had been an increase in the amount of documentation he had been asked to provide, because people were fearful of being found liable, Adams said.
Under the act, people with senior leadership roles could be fined up to $600,000 or imprisoned for up to five years.
"I think it's going to cost the country a hell of a lot of money, but if it reduces injuries in the workplace, it's all well and good," he said.
The company already had a robust health and safety policy in place, so Adams said he did not expect to change anything under the act.
However, there was a general feeling in the electrical industry they were expected to provide more comprehensive health and safety policies than other sectors, he said.
This included wearing protective equipment in situations where it would be safer not to, like wearing gloves when not wearing them would provide greater flexibility.
"You don't see office workers wearing hard hats in case a file falls on their head," Adams said.
Max the Plumber owner Max Lichtnecker said the act would make him lose out on work. He used the example of repairing a gutter.
Because it was over a certain height, Lichtnecker said his interpretation of the act meant he would have to use a harness, or scaffolding.
This would push the price of the job up, which meant more people would do it themselves rather than pay a tradesman, something Lichtnecker thought was more dangerous.
For information about the Health and Safety at Work Act, visit business.govt.nz/worksafe/hswa
