Remembering Pike River - A decade of progress and a path forward

Since 2010, significant strides have been made in workplace health and safety in New Zealand. The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River Mine Disaster exposed systemic failures and led to crucial reforms.

Key developments included:

• Establishment of WorkSafe New Zealand: A independent agency dedicated to improving workplace safety and health.
• Strengthened regulations: New legislation and stricter enforcement have raised industry standards.
• Enhanced worker empowerment: Workers are now better equipped to voice concerns and advocate for safer working conditions.
• Increased focus on prevention: A proactive approach to risk assessment and hazard control has become the norm.

While progress has been made, we recognise that there is still work to be done. The recent reports State of a Thriving Nation, and Been there Done that: A report into New Zealand’s repeated health and safety failures from the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum have starkly highlighted how far we have to go. The 2018-2028 Health and Safety Strategy has stalled, lacking implementation and monitoring. This, combined with inadequate coordination and accountability across Government agencies and industry, has led to a significant and avoidable cost to New Zealand, estimated at $4.9 billion last year. And while Australia and the UK have improved their workplace safety performance, New Zealand's has been slower and appears to have plateaued recently.

How do we catch up? While the health and safety reform consultation period is over, we must continue to use our collective and individual voices to engage in consultation and discussion to improve the efficacy of health and safety at work in New Zealand, and influence decision-making around how this is supported at a structural level. NZISM will continue to push.

It can begin to feel exhausting, and sometimes futile, but we are all doing great work. We only need to look at ourselves as a profession and see what we have achieved, even if other parts of the system haven’t done the same. We just need to keep pushing.

NZISM and the other signatories to the joint letter (Business New Zealand, Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum, HASANZ and the CTU) are meeting with Minister van Velden tomorrow (21 November) to discuss our shared view of what needs to change. We will report back.

WorkSafe’s Mining and quarrying amendment safe work instrument consultation closed last week, and the consultation on Guidelines on managing psychosocial risks at work closes next week. Have your say.

Let us continue to honour the memory of those lost at Pike River by committing to a future where every worker returns home healthy and safely.

Ngā mihi

Robyn Bennett
NZISM President

If you wish to contact me, please do so by email at [email protected]