NZSDA and Worksafe NZ provide guidelines for workplace recovery

As companies across New Zealand returned to work this week under Level 3 restrictions, both the NZ Sign & Display Association and Workplace NZ issued information for workers.

NZSDA issued a statement on its website reminding employers that there are increased health and safety obligations that they are to meet.

“An employer also must meet their employment obligations, which includes complying with agreements, policies and employment standards as well as acting in good faith and enabling honest and open communication with employee,” said the statement.

The NZSDA made the following checklist from Employsure available to assist New Zealand works as they prepare to work under Alert Level 3:

https://nzsda.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Checklist-for-Managing-Coronavirus-in-workplace-1.pdf

Worksafe NZ advised that under alert Level 3, all businesses permitted to resume operations are to have a COVID-19 safety plan to set out how they’ll operate safely.

“For businesses operating as an essential service under alert Level 4, a COVID-19 safety is not required. Ideally, essential services should also develop a documented version of their current plan and share that with their workers (if they don’t already have one. Before work begins again you need to develop a plan for working safely. You also need to discuss and share the plan with everyone at work – including workers, contractors, and suppliers – before the work starts. You should review and update your plan regularly,” stated Worksafe NZ on its website.

A COVID-19 safety plan template is available in both PDF and Word format on https://worksafe.govt.nz/managing-health-and-safety/novel-coronavirus-covid/covid-19-safety-plan-what-you-need-to-think-about/

Details on the following topics are also available from the link above:

- What the plan needs to include

- Determining risk arising from restarting a business which has been shutdown, and considering how to manage these

 - What plans are in place for employers to ensure all workers are aware of keeping themselves safe from exposure to COVID-19

- Determining how to gather information on the wellness of workers to ensure that they are safe and well to work

- Determining how your business will operate so that workers and visitors are safe from exposure to COVID-19

- Determining how to manage exposure or suspected exposure to COVID-19

- Evaluating and reviewing the effectiveness of work processes/risk controls

- Awareness of how change impact the risks of the work you do.