{"id":231,"date":"2023-08-15T01:16:45","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T01:16:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/?p=231"},"modified":"2024-08-20T00:01:19","modified_gmt":"2024-08-20T00:01:19","slug":"communicating-across-languages-on-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/blog\/communicating-across-languages-on-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Communicating across languages on-site"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Zealand is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world, which means we have an array of different cultures and languages across the workforce. This can sometimes create a challenging environment when it comes to communicating key information to all workers equally.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a business, you have a general responsibility to make your workplace safe. As part of this, you are responsible for providing workers with the information they need to do their job safely, including information in other languages where appropriate. This means that you need to be aware of any language and cultural barriers that may impact communication in your business, and take reasonable steps to address them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s important for businesses to be aware of the language preferences of their workforce so they can make sure that health and safety is discussed in a way that everyone understands. Workers will be trying to cope with a lot of information; the task at hand, the quality expectations, health and safety etc, so when communicating with workers where English isn’t their first language it is a great time to remember, to <\/span>keep safety simple.<\/b><\/p>\n

Starting out with proper consideration and consultation can save you time and money by helping to identify the range of languages spoken in the workplace as well as workers’ preferred forms of communication.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your PCBU Duties<\/b><\/h2>\n

Worker engagement, participation, and representation is a key part of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) in New Zealand.<\/span><\/p>\n

The HSWA requires engagement in certain circumstances, such as when identifying hazards and assessing risks to work health and safety arising from the work carried out by the PCBU.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the Main Contractor who has engaged workers with English as a second language, you need to consider the following as your responsibility:<\/span><\/p>\n

Engagement<\/b><\/h2>\n

This is how a PCBU involves workers in health and safety matters and decisions in the workplace. A PCBU that has good engagement with workers will:<\/span><\/p>\n