The HASANZ Register for Health & Safety Professionals
09/09/2016 11:50 am - 12:20 pm

Speaker: , Implementation Support Manager, HASANZ
Speaker: , HASANZ Independent Chair, Health & Safety Association NZ


Description

The Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety (Taskforce) found that “access to internal health and safety expertise, and cost-effective external expertise from health and safety practitioners, was raised as a concern through the consultation process”.

One of the Taskforce’s recommendations to address concerns with the availability of health and safety expertise was the establishment of an umbrella organisation for professions working in the health and safety sector. In response to this recommendation, the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ) was established in September 2014. To facilitate business access to quality health and safety expertise, HASANZ, with support from WorkSafe and other government partners, proposes to establish a voluntary central ‘register’ of professionals working in the health and safety sector. The register will be a free, publically-accessible online directory of quality-assured health and safety professionals, maintained and administered by HASANZ.

The intent of the register is to provide businesses with information about qualified and competent health and safety advisers that are suitable for their business type, and risk profile. The register will provide business with confidence about the advice received and that there are adequate support structures provided by the advisor’s professional associations (e.g. dispute resolution processes).

Implementing a register is part of a wider initiative to improve the competency and professionalism of individuals working in the health and safety sector. The register creates an incentive for health and safety advisors to raise their professional standards. That is, health and safety advisors will strive to achieve the required accreditation standards to be listed on the register.

Karen and Craig will talk about the development of the register and how it will affect professionals working in the sector.