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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Health and safety at work - Interpretation - Key terms

22: Meaning of reasonably practicable

You could also call this:

“Explaining what 'reasonably practicable' means for workplace safety”

In this law, ‘reasonably practicable’ means what you can reasonably do to make sure people are safe and healthy at work. When you’re thinking about what’s reasonably practicable, you need to consider several important things.

You need to think about how likely it is that something dangerous might happen. You also need to consider how much harm it could cause if it did happen.

You should think about what you know, or should know, about the dangerous thing and ways to get rid of it or make it less risky.

It’s important to look at what options are available to eliminate or reduce the risk, and if those options are suitable.

After you’ve thought about how big the risk is and what you can do about it, you need to consider the cost of fixing it. You should think about whether the cost is way too high compared to the risk.

All of these things help you decide what is ‘reasonably practicable’ to do to keep people safe and healthy at work.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5976866.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Worker rights
Work and jobs > Workplace safety
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Part 1 Health and safety at work
Interpretation: Key terms

22Meaning of reasonably practicable

  1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, reasonably practicable, in relation to a duty of a PCBU set out in subpart 2 of Part 2, means that which is, or was, at a particular time, reasonably able to be done in relation to ensuring health and safety, taking into account and weighing up all relevant matters, including—

  2. the likelihood of the hazard or the risk concerned occurring; and
    1. the degree of harm that might result from the hazard or risk; and
      1. what the person concerned knows, or ought reasonably to know, about—
        1. the hazard or risk; and
          1. ways of eliminating or minimising the risk; and
          2. the availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimise the risk; and
            1. after assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, the cost associated with available ways of eliminating or minimising the risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk.

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