Review Finds Aotearoa’s Boardrooms Falling Behind, Or Stalling In Health And Safety Governance

A new review has found that while health and safety are generally on the agenda for boards, officers and leaders across Aotearoa, our performance has stalled, and in some cases, our performance as a country is getting worse. Too many Kaimahi (workers) are still being killed and seriously harmed while whakamahi (working) in Aotearoa – more than 12 years after Pike River.

The health, safety and wellbeing of workers is both an ethical and legal responsibility for those who govern and lead businesses and organisations in Aotearoa New Zealand. A Better Governance project, led by the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum and General Manager Safety Forum with support from WorkSafe New Zealand and the Institute of Directors, has made a number of recommendations to drive real improvements in health and safety governance.

“Some officers ‘do’ health and safety to tick the boxes, and largely to protect themselves from a prosecution”, says project team member Greg Lazzaro.

“Most agree that there is a need to move beyond this, but they are not always clear how they to do this in a boardroom context. They also have a lot on, and work in a complex and changing environment. We need to grow capability”, Mr Lazzaro says.

The project team has recommended improvements in guidance materials, and to build health and safety governance capacity and capability in New Zealand. They have also called for the regulators to develop an intervention strategy targeted at boards and officers – with a focus on engagement, education and enforcement.

The team found that there’s a wealth of publicly available governance materials but very little health and safety governance material adding value. There are gaps in the material, with very little on understanding critical risk, governing to mitigate work-related health risk, and on governing in a supply chain even though very few organisations work in isolation.

The report’s vision for health and safety governance in Aotearoa is: Capable leaders integrating health and safety into curious and courageous governance discussions and decisions, that are context-rich and demonstrate care for workers.

“During the project it has been heartening to see a desire from many to improve health and safety governance, however the challenge is now to turn that interest into meaningful action that protects our kaimahi across the country,” says project chair, Chris Jones.

WorkSafe NZ has funded the first phase of the project – and the project is now seeking support to move into the next phase, and work to develop and implement the recommendations.

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