Our thanks to NZISM Construction sector lead, Darach Cassidy, and everyone who contributed to this joint submission with CHASNZ on the draft ACOP Identifying Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities on a Residential Construction Site.
1 of 8
1 Identifying Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities on a Residential Construction Site:DraftACOPsubmission May 2026 Submission endorsement This submission has been reviewed and endorsed by theNew Zealand Institute of Safety Management. The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management is the professional body for health and safety specialists (managers, advisors, and consultants). We have 3,200 members across all industries and business sizes. Our members hold advanced qualifications and work at all levels from governance to front-line operational roles. Summary assessment This draft ACOP is a welcome development. NZ residential construction has lacked coherent, role-specific guidance, and thedocument's structure, practical examples, and construction-phase framing represent a substantive improvement.The approach WorkSafe NZ has taken to get to this pointin terms of sector engagementis veryencouraging andsets a useful framework for future guidance projects. Our concernswith the current draftare nonetheless significant. The Amendment Bill's 'safe harbour' model introduces complexity this draft has yet to resolve, and our previously expressed reservations about a two-tiered compliance framework remain. The residential construction supply chainis characterised by fragmented contracting arrangements and a workforce with poor historical safety outcomes. Without careful design, a system that calibrates duties to business size will not