The Health and Safety at Work Act
This online course covers the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) and will provide a sound grounding in HSWA duties and responsibilities. The course covers both general duties on Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBUs) and upstream duties on those carrying out design, manufacture or importing.
Description
This online course provides an overview of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), explains who the duty holders are and their duties under HSWA. The course will outline how duty holder responsibilities interact and overlap, and the nature of the upstream duties on designers, manufacturers and importers of plant, substances and structures.
An overview of common methods and techniques used by engineering and design firms to satisfy their upstream duties will also be discussed, as will the evolving case law and updated practice guidance since the last iteration of this course in 2020.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Explain the principles of the HSWA – duty holders, types of duties, how different duties and duty holders interact.
- Describe the worker engagement duties under HSWA – what PCBUs need to do, and why this can be commercially beneficial.
- Describe the duties of PCBUs engaged in design and manufacturing, and what engineers need to know about these duties.
- Identify and describe the common methods and tools for satisfying upstream duties, especially with respect to design.
- Be aware of evolving case law and updated practice guidance since the last iteration of this course in 2020.
Intended audience
This course is designed at an introductory level, and no existing knowledge of the HSWA is assumed. The course is suitable for emerging professionals, engineers new to practicing in New Zealand, and more experienced engineers who wish to maintain currency.
Format
This online course will be delivered via live online and in-person format. The structure and intent of HSWA will be discussed, and the nature of the different duties and duty holders explained. Questions and discussions will occur throughout, tailored to meet the needs of attendees. Case studies will be used to demonstrate the principles of the law and obligations on engineers.
Presenter information
Joe Bain (PhD, CPEng) is Operations Director at Motovated Design and Analysis in Christchurch, where his practice centres on mechanical engineering safety with respect to plant and machinery. His day-to-day work involves design and certification of mechanical systems, risk management and health and safety by design consultation. Joe is also periodically engaged as an expert witness by Worksafe NZ.
Joe holds a PhD and honours degree in mechanical engineering from Canterbury University. He is the Chair of the New Zealand Society for Safety Engineering and serves on the committee of the Recreation Safety Engineering technical group. He has also previously served on the leadership team of the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand, and the committee of the Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand.