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New Zealand’s Health and Safety Reform Bill is currently before Parliament and is expected to take effect in late 2015 after approval. Under the Reform Bill workplace safety and health management rules for activities involving hazardous chemicals will be transferred from the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act (HSNO Act) to the new Health and Safety at Work Act (HSW Act).
This reform will change the responsibilities of two governmental agencies namely the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and WorkSafe New Zealand. The details are shown in the following diagram:
(* The diagram was originally posted on NZ EPA's website)
By integrating hazardous substances management in workplaces with the new HSW Act, it is expected that stakeholders will have easier access to work safety information. Most businesses that use, but do not import or manufacture, hazardous substances will only need to interact with WorkSafe NZ for that information.
Controls on the hazards and risks posed by chemicals with explosive, flammable, oxidizing, corrosive and/or toxic properties;
Controls on gases under pressure, whether intrinsically hazardous or not;
Controls to mitigate hazardous chemicals’ adverse effects on human health and harms to property or the environment;
Requirements on laboratories in terms of chemical safety during R&D;
Controls for hazardous by-products resulting from the manufacture or use of hazardous substances;
Requirements on emergency plan and response;
Regulations prescribing systems for tracking hazardous substances, including information on the location, quantity, responsible person and worker’s qualification;
Requirements on the qualification of any person handling a hazardous substance
