Govt Focuses on Forestry Safety Concerns
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden today launched the Approved Code of Practice [ACOP] for Forestry and Harvesting Operations for the forestry industry.
ACOPs are practical guidelines to help people in specific sectors and industries to comply with their health and safety duties. The sector-specific ACOPs programme is one part of the broader health and safety reforms.
WorkSafe has worked with the forestry industry, including input from both workers and forestry companies to create guidelines aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries in the sector.
These guidelines can now be used across the Forestry sector to help reduce ambiguity about health and safety obligations. It was developed by the industry, for the industry, alongside WorkSafe, to address the specific risks the sector faces.
Forestry is one of New Zealand’s highest-risk industries. Over the past decade, an average of four to five forestry workers have died at work each year. A forestry worker is 20 times more likely to be killed and 7 times more likely to suffer serious injury than the average worker.
For years there has been concern about the high rate of deaths in the forestry sector, and in September 2024, the Minister visited operations on the ground.
“I met with people in the Forestry sector during my health and safety road show last year. While visiting a forestry operation, I saw the risks and dangers workers are faced with firsthand,” says Ms van Velden.
“This new forestry code follows a suite of health and safety reforms announced earlier in the year which aim to focus the system on reducing critical risk and improve clarity for businesses, with a strong focus on supporting high-risk sectors.”
“As part of the reforms, I announced a shift to greater reliance on ACOPs in order to provide sectors with specific, up-to-date guidelines, and changing the ACOP model to reassure people that if they comply with an ACOP, they have done enough to meet their health and safety duties.”
Beyond forestry, the Government plans to develop ACOPs for multiple sectors including agriculture and construction. These codes will provide practical guidelines that reflects the real needs of each industry, moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches that have created confusion for employers.
“We want to work with industry to create codes of practice that are realistic and effective,” says Minister van Velden. “The goal is to make health and safety laws clearer and simpler while actually improving workplace safety.”
The initiative forms part of broader health and safety reforms based on extensive consultation with various industry sectors.
Editor notes:
https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/government-prioritises-forestry-sector-amid-ongoing-safety-concerns