ACC Media Release

7 August 2013

ACC supports new Crown agent WorkSafe New Zealand

ACC’s Chief Executive, Scott Pickering, says ACC is looking forward to working closely with the new Crown agent ‘WorkSafe New Zealand’. The agency forms the cornerstone of the Government’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Taskforce on Health and Safety.

“WorkSafe New Zealand will bring a new, sharper focus to the importance of workplace safety, and ACC will provide all the support we can to ensure more Kiwis go home safe and sound at the end of their working day.”

Mr Pickering says he’s very mindful of the important role ACC plays in injury prevention, but he also looks forward to seeing what can be achieved with a more collaborative approach.

“There’s a growing awareness that New Zealand’s high work-related injury rates require united action, with Government agencies, businesses and workers all working together towards the same goal.

“By getting in behind WorkSafe New Zealand, I believe we can make huge strides towards transforming New Zealand’s workplace safety culture.

“ACC is certainly willing to assist in any way we can. Some of the main ways we can help are by providing businesses with workplace safety and injury management advice, supporting targeted injury prevention programmes and offering levy discounts linked to safety performance.

“But that said, this is a new start and an opportunity for fresh, innovative thinking.”

Mr Pickering says the recently launched Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter, which involves ACC, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, other Government agencies, and businesses working together to ensure the Canterbury rebuild proceeds as safely as possible, provides a good example of collaboration in practice.

“If we can replicate the spirit of cooperation evident in the Canterbury Charter, I believe we’ll be off to a great start.”

Mr Pickering says ACC is already looking to align its injury prevention work with the recently released ‘blueprint’ for workplace health and safety that WorkSafe New Zealand will oversee.

“Reducing work-related injury in New Zealand is such an important task, so I want my teams to be working in concert and to hit the ground running.”

ENDS

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