Officer Duties under HSWA

Did you know?

As an Officer under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) in New Zealand, you play a vital role in ensuring your organisation properly manages health and safety risks and meets its legal obligations. Under HSWA, the term “Officer” refers to individuals in governance or leadership roles within a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking), i.e. directors, CEOs, board members and senior executives. Here’s an overview of your responsibilities as an Officer under HSWA 2015:

1. Duty of due diligence

   You are required to take reasonable steps to ensure your organisation complies with its health and safety duties. This means actively engaging in health and safety matters, staying informed about workplace hazards and risks, and ensuring that the right resources are in place to manage them.

2. Leadership and governance

   You are expected to provide visible leadership and direction for health and safety. This includes helping shape the strategic approach, supporting strong policies and procedures, and ensuring systems are in place to manage risks effectively.

3. Risk management oversight

   You are responsible for overseeing how your organisation identifies, assesses and controls risks. This includes reviewing how risks are managed, ensuring that assessments are up to date, and making sure controls are monitored and reviewed regularly.

4. Resource allocation

   It is your responsibility to ensure adequate resources are dedicated to health and safety. This may include funding training, hiring competent staff, maintaining equipment or supporting the implementation of a safety management system.

5. Consultation and communication

   You are expected to support open and inclusive conversations about health and safety. This involves consulting with workers, representatives and other stakeholders and ensuring information is clearly communicated across the business.

6. Compliance monitoring

   You are accountable for ensuring your organisation is meeting its legal and internal health and safety obligations. This might include reviewing audit results, checking incident trends or following up on areas of concern.

7. Incident response and investigation

   You need to ensure your organisation responds appropriately to incidents, including reporting, investigating root causes and applying lessons learned. This helps reduce the likelihood of similar events happening again.

8. Continuous improvement

   A key part of your role is supporting a culture of learning and improvement. This includes reviewing policies, updating procedures, applying industry best practice and making health and safety an ongoing focus at the leadership level.

By fulfilling your responsibilities as an Officer under HSWA 2015, you help protect workers, build trust and strengthen your organisation’s overall resilience. Your leadership makes a real difference in reducing harm and supporting a healthy, safe and productive workplace.