Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse has welcomed the recommendations of the Independent Forestry Safety Review.
"The Government supports the findings of this review and acknowledges everyone who played a role in this critically important work. The safety record of the forestry sector is not acceptable and Government agencies are committed to working in partnership with industry to build a safe, sustainable and professional forestry sector," Mr Woodhouse said.
The Government's initial response released today sets out how the Review's findings and recommendations will be addressed, including through the Working Safer reforms already underway.
"The Government supports the establishment of a Forestry Leadership Action Group (FLAG) with industry, worker and government representation.
"We believe it is essential FLAG is led by industry to ensure that the onus remains on industry to respond to health and safety issues on the ground. Work will begin immediately to set FLAG up.
"FLAG will be supported by government and play an important role in showing strong industry leadership and guidance on how the Review's recommendations will be addressed. We also expect that FLAG will take the lead on operationalising and embedding good practice.
"The Government's role is to develop regulations and FLAG will be a key participant in the process. It is critical for industry and workers to be involved in the development of regulations.
"We are committed to improving the health and safety of all workers and the recommendations by the Forestry Safety Review Panel will contribute significantly to help up reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in the forestry sector."
It said the Review's findings would contribute to work already underway which includes:
The Working Safer reform of the workplace health and safety system which aims to:
- reduce the workplace injury and death toll by 25 per cent by 2020,
- cover all sectors including forestry
- set out clearer duties, more worker participation, stronger enforcement and tougher penalties
New legislation and planned regulations which include:
- General risk and workplace management regulations
- Worker participation, engagement and representation
- Hazardous Work
- Plant and Structures regulations which aim to cover all sectors including forestry.
- Safer Forest Harvesting - a project commenced by WorkSafe NZ in August 2013 which has seen a significate increase and focus on its assessment and enforcement efforts in forestry
- An increase to inspectorate capability and new intervention approach by WorkSafe NZ which focusses more on underlying causes
- Funding and support provided by ACC for a range of industry-led forestry injury prevention initiatives
- The Ministry for Primary Industry's work to forecast the future workforce needs of primary sectors, including forestry in the report The Future capability Needs for the Primary Industries in New Zealand.
- Competenz putting its 26 forestry qualifications through the NZQA review process.
A more detailed response to the Review on the recommendations concerning regulations and Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) will be released around February 2015.
Worksafe responds
WorkSafe NZ said the Independent Forestry Safety Review had clearly identified the problems facing an industry in which 10 workers were killed last year.
"The Review's analysis matches our own view and leaves no doubt about the need for comprehensive, integrated action by all participants in the sector, including the regulator," WorkSafe chief executive Gordon MacDonald said.
"The next step must lead to action to fix the industry's ills, and WorkSafe will assist the establishment of the Forestry Leadership Action Group (FLAG) and work with it. The FLAG is the mechanism to develop practical solutions to the industry's issues and the Review's recommendations.
"I believe the FLAG should soon transform into an industry-led group as we proposed in our submission to the review. This industry must assume responsibility and accountability for its own health and safety improvement programme. WorkSafe will continue to work with FLAG and alongside the industry as it takes on this role," says Mr MacDonald.
"WorkSafe believes that responsibility for managing risks in any environment lies with those who create the risks. We will actively participate in that process as well as continuing to hold to account those who needlessly create serious harm in the workplace.
"WorkSafe and other Government agencies have responsibility for legislative, regulatory and advisory and guidance matters. We will work with those agencies and the FLAG to determine how recommendations in these areas can be advanced. We will support the FLAG and industry as they develop responses to the Review recommendations which are for them to resolve," he says.
"WorkSafe has already begun the development of a forestry-specific intervention approach which is directed at the five critical issues we identified in our submission to the Review: supply chain and production pressure; undervaluation of safety; industry competency deficits; poor safety culture; and insufficient investment in forest harvesting infrastructure.
"This work builds on our extensive assessment programme that has been operating since August last year. It will extend our interventions to a more sophisticated focus on underlying causes of poor risk management and harms which will complement our consideration of hazards and immediately evident problems," said Mr MacDonald.
For the Government's initial response document, visit www.mbie.govt.nz/what-we-do/workplace-health-and-safety-reform/governments-response-to-independent-forestry-safety-review.