More than just words.
Support your people with resources
designed for safer Kiwi workplaces.
More than just words.
Support your people with resources
designed for safer Kiwi workplaces.
The Harm Reduction Essentials
You don’t have to have all the answers. But, these guides and checklists will give you a solid start. Share them with your team, pin them on the wall, or reference them to confirm your gut instincts – just make sure you use them. This is your resource station, updated regularly with topical workplace safety guidance.
Understanding your health and safety duties
Most serious harm occurs when responsibilities are unclear, decisions are delayed, or critical risks are assumed to be someone else’s responsibility. Understanding health and safety duties is about knowing who must act, when action is needed, and taking steps early enough to prevent harm.
Emergency readiness and response
Even well-managed workplaces can experience emergencies. Effective preparedness ensures people understand their roles, responsibilities, and critical actions when things go wrong, reducing confusion and delays that can increase harm and affect more people than the original event.
Learning from near‑misses and incidents
Serious harm is rarely unpredictable. Near-misses, minor incidents, and warning signs often provide opportunities to intervene before someone is seriously injured or killed. Learning from these events helps organisations identify weaknesses and interrupt the pathway to serious harm.
Protecting young and vulnerable workers
Young and vulnerable workers are disproportionately exposed to serious harm risks due to inexperience, limited confidence, or reluctance to speak up. Protecting these workers means designing work, supervision, and support systems that reduce exposure and strengthen safe participation.
Acting before harm becomes illness or injury
Health and safety risks often develop over time rather than through a single event. PCBUs must identify foreseeable risks to both physical and mental health and take action, so far as reasonably practicable, to eliminate or minimise exposure before harm occurs.
Everyday risk controls to prevent drift
Control measures can become less effective over time if they are not regularly maintained, monitored, and reinforced. PCBUs must ensure controls continue to manage foreseeable risks arising from work and remain effective in preventing exposure to serious harm.
Reducing exposure before harm
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, risks must be eliminated or minimised so far as reasonably practicable. This means identifying where people are exposed to serious injury or fatality risks and ensuring effective controls are in place before harm occurs.
Making risks visible through worker engagement
Effective worker engagement helps organisations identify hazards, understand how work is actually performed, and recognise foreseeable risks. When workers actively participate in health and safety discussions, risks become more visible and opportunities to prevent harm can be identified earlier.
The Harm Reduction Essentials
You don’t have to have all the answers. But, these guides and checklists will give you a solid start. Share them with your team, pin them on the wall, or reference them to confirm your gut instincts – just make sure you use them. This is your resource station, updated regularly with topical workplace safety guidance.
Understanding your health and safety duties
Most serious harm occurs when responsibilities are unclear, decisions are delayed, or critical risks are assumed to be someone else’s responsibility. Understanding health and safety duties is about knowing who must act, when action is needed, and taking steps early enough to prevent harm.
Emergency readiness and response
Even well-managed workplaces can experience emergencies. Effective preparedness ensures people understand their roles, responsibilities, and critical actions when things go wrong, reducing confusion and delays that can increase harm and affect more people than the original event.
Learning from near‑misses and incidents
Serious harm is rarely unpredictable. Near-misses, minor incidents, and warning signs often provide opportunities to intervene before someone is seriously injured or killed. Learning from these events helps organisations identify weaknesses and interrupt the pathway to serious harm.
Protecting young and vulnerable workers
Young and vulnerable workers are disproportionately exposed to serious harm risks due to inexperience, limited confidence, or reluctance to speak up. Protecting these workers means designing work, supervision, and support systems that reduce exposure and strengthen safe participation.
Acting before harm becomes illness or injury
Health and safety risks often develop over time rather than through a single event. PCBUs must identify foreseeable risks to both physical and mental health and take action, so far as reasonably practicable, to eliminate or minimise exposure before harm occurs.
Everyday risk controls to prevent drift
Control measures can become less effective over time if they are not regularly maintained, monitored, and reinforced. PCBUs must ensure controls continue to manage foreseeable risks arising from work and remain effective in preventing exposure to serious harm.
Reducing exposure before harm
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, risks must be eliminated or minimised so far as reasonably practicable. This means identifying where people are exposed to serious injury or fatality risks and ensuring effective controls are in place before harm occurs.
Making risks visible through worker engagement
Effective worker engagement helps organisations identify hazards, understand how work is actually performed, and recognise foreseeable risks. When workers actively participate in health and safety discussions, risks become more visible and opportunities to prevent harm can be identified earlier.
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Got a question about supporting your workers, your obligations under workplace legislation, or how to manage a tricky situation?
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