Safety Management System – Do it Once, Do it Right!
Develop, implement and maintain a Safety Management System that genuinely protects your people and your organisation.
Training
Turning Safety Goals into Real-World Results
Training built for your team. Whether you're looking to understand legal responsibilities, build engagement or strengthen your systems, we've got training that works.
Beyond compliance
Effective, real-world training built for New Zealand teams
Training for teams who want to improve safety, boost capability and reduce risk.
At NZ SAFE, we deliver training that goes beyond compliance. Our training has been designed for real New Zealand workplaces, shaped by legislation, industry good practice and years of on-the-ground experience.
Whether you're a small business, a national organisation, or somewhere in between, we will tailor training to your people, your risks, and your goals. No fluff. Just the tools, clarity and confidence your team needs to work safer, smarter and more effectively.
- Based on good practice and the New Zealand Health and Safety at Work legislation
- Created using your practices and your policies, with a focus on your goals
- Delivered in-person, online or as a blended approach. You choose what works for you!
- Designed with growth and clarity in mind:
- 01Confidence
- 02Capability
- 03Culture
Your learning partner
Learning Built for Real Workplaces
Your people are at the heart of every safety outcome. That's why our training isn't about ticking boxes, it's about giving your team the knowledge, confidence and skills to make safer choices every day.
As your learning partner, we're in the wings helping you choose the right courses, tailoring delivery to your workplace and supporting long-term improvements. With honest insights and practical expertise, we'll stand alongside your team to make sure the learning sticks.
Schedule a call11 courses
NZ SAFE Practical Safety Courses
Select a course to learn more, or contact us for a tailored recommendation.
Linking Human Factors To Safety Behaviour
Understand why people make the choices they do at work, and design systems, communication and culture that support safer behaviour.
Managing Safety for Managers at All Levels
Give operational leaders the confidence, knowledge and tools to take ownership of safety in their teams.
Safety Made Simple
Communicate safety in clear, simple language that every worker can understand and act on.
Worker Engagement – The Key to a Safer Workplace
Turn worker participation from a legal duty into a genuine driver of safer work.
Workplace Investigation Skills
Respond to incidents systematically, investigate fairly and turn findings into lasting improvements.
Unpacking HSWA for PCBUs
Get a clear, practical understanding of the Health and Safety at Work Act and what it means for your business.
Practical Risk Management for all Workers
Equip workers at every level to identify, assess and control the hazards in their own work.
Building a Strong Culture of Safety
Assess, lead and measure the shift to a safety culture people genuinely own.
My role as an Officer under HSWA
Understand, and confidently meet, your due diligence duties as an Officer under HSWA.
Train the Trainer
Turn your subject-matter expertise into training that engages people and actually sticks.
Ready, Steady, Go!
Equip your team with practical skills that make safety second nature.
Develop, implement and maintain a Safety Management System that genuinely protects your people and your organisation.
This essential course gives learners comprehensive knowledge and practical skills in developing, implementing and maintaining Health and Safety Management Systems (SMS) as powerful tools for organisational risk management and employee protection.
What you’ll learn
- How a well-structured SMS serves as the backbone of workplace safety culture
- The fundamental components that make an SMS effective in preventing accidents, reducing workplace hazards and ensuring regulatory compliance
- Systematic risk assessment approaches, and how SMS frameworks help you proactively identify potential dangers and put appropriate control measures in place
- How an effective SMS creates clear accountability structures and consistent safety protocols
- How regular monitoring and review drive continuous improvement
- How to build and customise an SMS to your organisation’s specific needs, so every stakeholder understands their role within the safety framework
By the end of the course, you’ll understand how a robust SMS not only protects employees and reduces organisational liability, but also improves operational efficiency and creates competitive advantages through a stronger safety culture and reduced costs.
Understand why people make the choices they do at work, and design systems, communication and culture that support safer behaviour.
This course dives deep into the real-world impact of human factors on workplace health and safety, highlighting that 80 to 90 percent of incidents are rooted in human behaviour rather than equipment failure or procedural gaps.
What you’ll learn
- The psychological, cognitive and physical factors that influence how people make decisions, respond under pressure and interact with their environment, including fatigue, stress and workload, attention span, perception limitations and the formation of workplace habits
- The science behind human error: how cognitive biases, situational awareness and mental models shape behaviour in both routine and high-pressure situations
- Environmental design principles, and how workplace layout, lighting, noise levels and ergonomics directly influence performance and decision-making
- How to spot the early warning signs of human error patterns, understand why well-meaning workers sometimes take shortcuts or deviate from procedures, and identify system vulnerabilities before they lead to incidents, using case studies and practical examples from a range of industries
- Proven techniques for designing safer systems that account for human limitations, and for improving communication to reduce misunderstandings
- How to foster psychological safety, so people feel comfortable reporting near misses and raising concerns without fear of blame or punishment
- Practical tools for human factors risk assessments, behaviour-based safety interventions and feedback mechanisms that reinforce positive behaviours while addressing problem patterns constructively
By the end of the course, managers and safety professionals will not only recognise how human behaviour contributes to organisational risk, but will have the strategic knowledge and practical skills to harness human potential as a powerful force for safety: building resilient systems that support better decision-making, and achieving sustainable outcomes that protect both individual workers and the wider business every day.
Give operational leaders the confidence, knowledge and tools to take ownership of safety in their teams.
A practical, engaging course designed to give operational leaders the confidence, knowledge and tools to take ownership of safety in their teams, developing the leadership competencies that turn safety from a compliance exercise into a core business function.
What you’ll learn
- How to lead by example, influence safe behaviours and make informed decisions, going well beyond regulatory adherence
- How to build the personal authority and credibility needed to drive meaningful safety culture change
- How to balance operational pressures with safety requirements, making sound risk-based decisions even with competing priorities or time constraints
- How to identify both obvious and subtle workplace risks, and apply effective, proportionate control measures
- How to communicate safety expectations in ways that resonate with your team
- Coaching and influencing skills that shape attitudes and behaviours and create psychological safety, so team members feel comfortable reporting concerns and suggesting improvements
Learning is built around carefully selected real-world scenarios, detailed case studies from various industries, and highly interactive sessions that encourage peer learning and problem-solving. Participants leave with the tools and confidence to build and sustain a culture where safety is seamlessly part of daily operations, where people naturally consider safety in their work decisions, and where safety performance becomes a source of competitive advantage rather than simply a regulatory burden to be managed.
Communicate safety in clear, simple language that every worker can understand and act on.
Effective safety communication isn’t about demonstrating technical expertise. It’s about making sure every team member can understand and act on vital safety information. This course shows why clear, simple language matters so much, and how to use it.
What you’ll learn
- Why clear, simple language is critical when communicating safety messages
- How making safety information accessible to everyone, including people with low literacy levels, different cultural backgrounds or limited experience in risk management, increases comprehension and retention, and builds stronger buy-in and engagement across the workforce
- Practical techniques for translating complex safety concepts into plain English, using visual aids, analogies and real-world examples that resonate with diverse audiences
- How to avoid the jargon and technical terminology that create barriers to understanding
- Inclusive communication strategies that remove the assumption that everyone processes information the same way, so safety messages reach every employee regardless of educational background or language proficiency
- How clear communication significantly reduces the likelihood of incidents, by making sure workers understand hazard warnings, follow procedures correctly and feel confident raising concerns or asking questions when they’re unsure
Ultimately, participants learn that clear communication fosters a more engaged, inclusive and protected work environment, where every employee feels valued and empowered to contribute to workplace safety, creating a stronger safety culture that benefits the whole organisation.
Turn worker participation from a legal duty into a genuine driver of safer work.
Genuine worker involvement is not merely a regulatory requirement; it’s a fundamental driver of workplace safety culture and effectiveness. This course explores the critical role worker engagement plays in improving health and safety outcomes.
What you’ll learn
- The legal duties around participation and engagement, and how legislative requirements for worker consultation translate into practical organisational responsibilities and accountability structures
- What meaningful engagement looks like in practice: moving beyond token consultation to participation that lets workers contribute their frontline expertise, share safety concerns without fear of reprisal, and take part in hazard identification, risk assessment and solution development
- Proven techniques to actively involve workers in managing risk and making safety decisions, including facilitation methods for safety meetings, structured approaches to gathering feedback, and ways to build worker insights into safety planning and policy
- Common barriers to engagement, such as time constraints, hierarchical communication structures, cultural resistance, lack of trust between management and workers, and limited safety knowledge or confidence, and how to overcome them
- Practical steps, frameworks, communication tools and implementation strategies to strengthen engagement in your own team or organisation, ready to apply straight away
Above all, the course reinforces that at the heart of good health and safety is people – he tangata, he tangata, he tangata. Sustainable safety improvements can only be achieved when organisations genuinely value, respect and harness the knowledge, experience and commitment of their workforce in creating safer working environments for everyone.
Respond to incidents systematically, investigate fairly and turn findings into lasting improvements.
Workplace investigations are both a legal obligation and a fundamental part of effective safety management. This comprehensive course covers when investigations must be conducted, and the serious legal and ethical responsibilities that come with them.
What you’ll learn
- How to respond appropriately and systematically to workplace incidents: quickly assess the situation, determine the right level of investigation, and set clear parameters aligned with regulatory requirements and your organisation’s policies
- Evidence collection and preservation: systematically gathering physical evidence, documentation and witness statements while maintaining chain of custody, so all evidence remains admissible and defensible
- How to conduct fair, unbiased and legally compliant interviews with witnesses, victims and other stakeholders, eliciting accurate information while respecting individual rights and maintaining confidentiality
- Root cause analysis methods that move beyond surface-level findings to the underlying system failures, organisational deficiencies and contributing factors behind an incident
- How to produce clear, comprehensive and legally defensible investigation reports that communicate findings, support decision-making and withstand scrutiny from regulators, legal representatives and senior management
- Information security and confidentiality throughout the process: handling sensitive data, protecting privacy and maintaining professional standards, while ensuring transparency where appropriate
- How to translate findings into practical, actionable recommendations that drive meaningful improvements in systems, processes and safety culture
You’ll leave able to make sure the lessons learned from incidents feed continuous improvement and help prevent future occurrences across New Zealand workplaces.
Get a clear, practical understanding of the Health and Safety at Work Act and what it means for your business.
By the end of this course, participants will have a comprehensive understanding of New Zealand’s foundational health and safety legislation and its practical application in today’s workplaces.
What you’ll learn
- The historical context and underlying philosophy that shaped the Health and Safety at Work Act, including the societal and industrial factors that made it necessary and the fundamental principles of modern workplace safety regulation
- The distinction between prescriptive and performance-based legislation, and how the Act’s flexible, outcomes-focused approach lets organisations tailor safety measures to their workplace while maintaining rigorous standards
- How to accurately identify every duty holder within different organisational structures, from PCBUs (Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking) to officers, workers and other persons at workplaces, and the specific legal obligations each one owes
- The critical concept of ‘reasonably practicable’, and how to apply this risk-based standard to real decisions by balancing the likelihood and severity of harm against the availability, suitability and cost of control measures
- How to recognise and manage overlapping duties when several parties share responsibility for the same workplace risks, coordinating efforts and avoiding gaps in safety management
- Upstream duties under Sections 39 to 43 of the Act: how designers, manufacturers, importers, installers and suppliers contribute to workplace safety through their roles in the supply chain
Together, these duties create a comprehensive framework for preventing harm before it reaches the workplace, and this course gives you the clarity to play your part in it.
Equip workers at every level to identify, assess and control the hazards in their own work.
This comprehensive half-day Practical Risk Management course equips learners with essential skills to systematically identify, assess and control workplace hazards within their own roles and responsibilities.
What you’ll learn
- How to conduct effective risk assessments and recognise potential dangers before they result in incidents
- How to develop appropriate control measures that align with both regulatory requirements and organisational safety objectives
- How to take ownership of workplace safety and proactively manage risks in daily work, rather than simply following prescribed procedures without understanding the principles behind them
- How to think critically about workplace hazards and evaluate the effectiveness of existing controls
- How to contribute meaningfully to safety discussions and decision-making within your team
- How your individual actions affect overall organisational risk management and safety performance
Participants leave with the knowledge and skills to bridge the gap between management’s safety vision and practical implementation, so they can actively help create and maintain a safer work environment.
Assess, lead and measure the shift to a safety culture people genuinely own.
This course equips participants with the knowledge, skills and confidence to transform their organisation’s safety culture from aspiration to reality, through systematic assessment, strategic planning and sustained leadership commitment.
What you’ll learn
- Practical diagnostic tools and methods to evaluate your current safety culture objectively, identifying strengths to build on and areas needing targeted intervention, and understanding the interplay between organisational values, behaviours and safety outcomes
- How to craft and lead evidence-based improvement strategies for the specific cultural challenges in your workplace: navigating resistance to change, engaging stakeholders at all levels, and creating compelling narratives that inspire genuine commitment to safety rather than mere compliance
- Robust frameworks for measuring cultural progress through both quantitative metrics and qualitative indicators, so you can adapt your approach based on real-world feedback while keeping momentum towards your goals
- How to create authentic psychological safety, where people feel genuinely empowered to speak up about concerns, report near misses and contribute to continuous improvement without fear of blame or retribution
- Proven strategies for meaningful worker engagement that goes beyond superficial participation to create genuine ownership of, and accountability for, safety outcomes at every level
- How to establish and maintain the consistent leadership behaviours and accountability systems that sustain positive cultural change over time, avoiding short-term initiatives that fail to embed lasting change
Most importantly, the course shows how these capabilities directly fulfil and exceed your legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act, so cultural improvements translate into tangible risk reduction, regulatory compliance and better protection for every employee, while supporting broader organisational objectives and performance.
Understand, and confidently meet, your due diligence duties as an Officer under HSWA.
This course gives Officers a comprehensive understanding of their legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act, including detailed knowledge of how to meet their due diligence obligations through systematic and demonstrable actions.
What you’ll learn
- How to distinguish between what is reasonably practicable and what is merely reasonable when taking steps to fulfil your duties, and the legal and practical implications of that distinction for decision-making and resourcing
- Practical tools and methods to actively verify that your organisation, as the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU), is meeting its primary health and safety responsibilities through effective monitoring, audit processes and performance measurement
- How to establish robust governance frameworks that demonstrate your active engagement in health and safety, including asking the right questions, reviewing the right documentation and making sure safety initiatives are adequately resourced
- How to document your due diligence activities effectively, creating an audit trail that demonstrates a proactive approach to Officer duties
- How to identify potential gaps in organisational safety performance and take appropriate corrective action
By the end of the course, Officers will be confident in their ability to discharge their legal obligations, while supporting their organisation to create a culture of safety excellence that goes beyond mere compliance to achieve genuine risk reduction and employee protection.
Turn your subject-matter expertise into training that engages people and actually sticks.
At NZ SAFE Training & Consultancy, we know that being an expert in your field doesn’t automatically mean you know how to teach it. That’s where this course comes in. Train the Trainer is designed to give you the skills, confidence and practical tools to deliver training that actually sticks.
What you’ll learn
- How to shift from “telling people what to do” to engaging them in a way that motivates real change
- How to make training interactive and memorable
- How to link learning directly to everyday work tasks, so it isn’t just heard, it’s applied
- How to apply these skills whether you’re leading toolbox talks, running induction sessions or delivering specialist workshops
- The confidence and practical tools to deliver training that feels like a conversation, not a lecture
This programme is hands-on, full of real-world examples and practice opportunities, and guided by our philosophy that great training should feel like a conversation, not a lecture.