MEDIA RELEASE

Stand with Pike joins NZISM campaign to stop law changes that make workplaces more dangerous

• Select committee fails to heed widespread concerns about Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill
• Bill due to be reported back today by Education and Workforce Committee
• Campaign to stop Bill launched today

Stand with Pike campaigners Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne have joined with the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management in an urgent, last-ditch campaign to stop the Government pressing ahead with law changes that make workplaces more dangerous.

The Education and Workforce Committee is due to report the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill back to Parliament today and be debated in Parliament next week at its Second Reading. NZISM understands only minor changes have been made despite an overwhelming majority of business groups, health and safety experts, unions and others opposing the Bill.

“This will be a huge setback to efforts to turn around our appalling health and safety record, so we are grateful for the support of Sonya and Anna from Stand with Pike – they know, more than anyone else, that we can’t afford to repeat the mistakes of the past,” said Mike Cosman, NZISM law reform spokesperson.

“We urge MPs to heed their concerns, learn the lessons from Pike and vote this Bill down.”

Anna Osborne and Sonya Rockhouse are lending their voices to a social media campaign launched today by NZISM.

“We are heartbroken to see the Government persist with this Bill. We believe that it will cost lives. The lessons from the Pike River tragedy have been forgotten,” said Anna Osborne

“Today Stand with Pike and NZISM are launching a campaign to remind politicians across Parliament of the human cost of bad lawmaking. The message of the campaign is simple: Vote this Bill down or send it back to Select Committee for major revision,” said Sonya Rockhouse.

Mike Cosman said there were many problems with the Bill which would not lead to better health and safety outcomes or make it easier for businesses to comply. Indeed, many across the health and safety system believe it will result in more harm and cost to ACC and employers. New Zealand’s fatality rate is 1.7 x that of Australia and 6.5 x that of the UK. The cost of workplace death and injuries is conservatively estimated at $5.4 billion a year. The Bill will increase this cost if passed.

The major problems centre on small businesses being carved out of the new regime:

• The Bill would exempt 97% of New Zealand businesses from having a legal duty to manage many of their most significant risks (the non-critical ones).
• Small businesses have a 24% higher injury rate than large firms. Carving them out makes no sense.
• The main risks that workers in those businesses would no longer be protected against are musculoskeletal risks (eg. ergonomics, slips and falls) and psychosocial risks (mental health, stress, workload, working hours). These are the number 1 and 2 causes of workplace harm in New Zealand.
• ACC strongly opposes the carve out for musculoskeletal risks because they pay out more than $3.6 billion every year for such injuries in small businesses. Reducing protections is likely to cost hundreds of millions more and cause huge suffering.

“At a basic level workers would no longer have to be provided with safety boots or gloves as hand and foot injuries are not classed as critical. That’s ridiculous,” said Mike Cosman.

“No other country in the world takes this indifferent approach to the health and safety of workers in small businesses. It will cost lives and livelihoods. The likely direct costs to ACC alone make a mockery of this Government’s claims of fiscal discipline and these costs will ultimately be passed on to businesses and taxpayers.”

Stand with Pike urges MPs to listen.

“Our message is simple: Those who can’t learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. We have learned the lessons of Pike River and deregulation of health and safety with the deaths of 29 good men. This Bill should be stopped in its tracks,” said Osbourne.