{"id":3232,"date":"2025-04-03T22:24:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T22:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/?p=3232"},"modified":"2025-04-03T22:24:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T22:24:49","slug":"health-safety-changes-what-builders-and-tradies-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/blog\/health-safety-changes-what-builders-and-tradies-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Health &amp; Safety changes: What builders and tradies need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You might have heard that the government is making some changes to the Health and Safety Work Act (HSWA). But what does that mean for your building company or trade business?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The announcements this week are part of a broader reform, and we expect more decisions and updates over the coming months. So far, the announcements are focused on reducing compliance costs for low-risk industries. Here\u2019s the key: the construction industry is still high-risk, and these health &amp; safety changes won\u2019t impact your core safety responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What\u2019s changing (and what\u2019s not)<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The government\u2019s proposed changes are currently aimed at businesses that don\u2019t face the same risks as the construction sector. For builders and tradies, the rules around working at heights, machinery operation, and handling hazardous materials remain unchanged. Your responsibility to keep your team safe stays the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Construction still has high injury and fatality rates. Right now, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/blog\/a-wake-up-call-for-workplace-safety-nz-fatality-rate-is-twice-that-of-australia\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">New Zealand workers are twice as likely to be killed on the job compared to Australian workers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. These stats show there\u2019s still a lot to be done to improve in the industry, which is why keeping safety a top priority on-site is so important.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Do you still need expert help?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While some industries may see relaxed regulations, health and safety in construction will always be complex. That\u2019s where we come in. We\u2019re on your side, helping you navigate through the changes and ensuring you stay compliant while keeping your workers safe\u2014no matter what the government does next. Our advisory team is always available to chat about these changes, so don\u2019t hesitate to give us a call.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Brooke van Velden, has stated that these reforms are just the beginning. Legislation to amend the Health and Safety at Work Act is expected to be introduced by the end of the year, with the intention of passing it in early 2026. But for now, you don\u2019t need to worry about major shifts affecting your business. The key rules\u2014the ones that protect your team\u2014will stay the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We\u2019re here to help you stay ahead of these changes. If you have any questions or need advice on how these changes may impact you, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hazardco.com\/nz\/\">reach out to our team<\/a>. We\u2019re always ready to assist in keeping your workers safe and your business running smoothly.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You might have heard that the government is making some changes to the Health and Safety Work Act (HSWA). But what does that mean for your building company or trade business?\u00a0 The announcements this week are part of a broader reform, and we expect more decisions and updates over the coming months. So far, the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3233,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Health &amp; Safety changes: What builders and tradies need to know - HazardCo NZ<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New changes to the health &amp; safety work act, what this means for builders and trade business. 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