WINZ prosecution - PC safety madness?
The courts recently entered a conviction against the Ministry of Social Development relating to the tragic shootings at the WINZ office in Ashburton. The Ministry was found to have failed to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of its employees under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992.
Many people I have spoken to see the prosecution as “PC madness” brought about by the new health and safety laws. How can WINZ be held responsible for the violent acts of an aggrieved gunman? Even the Ministry itself didn’t agree with a particular aspect of the ruling and challenged the court’s interpretation of what a safe office layout should be.
Paris climate change negotiations - what it means for NZ farming and industry
The Paris climate change negotiations concluded recently, with 195 countries signing up to a new global agreement to tackle climate change. It is notoriously difficult to get agreement from multiple governments on global issues, so the fact the negotiations resulted in a consensus is a massive achievement in itself.
In the end, this is all about money and New Zealand businesses will not be immune from the impacts of this agreement. The global economy is largely powered by oil and coal with China and the US burning more than anyone else. Agriculture is also important because we need to produce enough food to feed a growing global population. The problem being that these activities, which are so important to the New Zealand and global economy, are also altering the climate, which will have the effect of making us all worse off in decades to come.
What employers wish they could ask in a job interview
I read an article recently about things that Employers cannot by law ask at a job interview. Such things as are you are union member? Are you gay? Do you intend to have children? etc etc. I thought of some things that maybe employers would ask if they could.
Yes, you can still have Christmas, go to school and hunt.
Its official, we will have a new law for workplace health and safety with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 coming into effect on 4 April 2016. In our view the new law will mean good operators won’t need to do much different from what they already do. Those who have done nothing around health and safety will have work to do, but it’s actually not too onerous a task to manage.
Health & Safety: Clarification for small businesses, farms and volunteers
Following public submissions the select committee considering the Health and Safety Reform Bill has reported back to Parliament with some important changes to the incoming law. These recommendations will become part of the Health and Safety at Work Act, which after several delays is likely to come into being in the New Year.
