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Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Health and safety at work - Interpretation - Key terms

24: Meaning of notifiable incident

You could also call this:

“What counts as a dangerous event at work that must be reported”

A notifiable incident is something unexpected that happens at work that could seriously harm someone’s health or safety right away. This could be many different things. It might be a substance that spills or leaks, or something that explodes or catches fire. It could be gas or steam escaping, or something under high pressure getting out. An electric shock is also a notifiable incident. If something falls from up high, or if a machine breaks down or doesn’t work properly, these are notifiable incidents too. The same goes for when a building or structure falls down, even partly. If you’re digging underground and water, mud, or gas suddenly rushes in, or if the air system stops working, these are also notifiable incidents. On ships, if two boats crash into each other, if a boat flips over, or if water starts flooding in, these are all notifiable incidents.

Sometimes, the government might say that certain things don’t count as notifiable incidents. They do this by making rules called regulations. Also, they might add new types of incidents to the list of notifiable incidents. These would be things that could put workers or other people at serious risk, even if they’re not on the main list.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5976877.

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Part 1 Health and safety at work
Interpretation: Key terms

24Meaning of notifiable incident

  1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, a notifiable incident means an unplanned or uncontrolled incident in relation to a workplace that exposes a worker or any other person to a serious risk to that person's health or safety arising from an immediate or imminent exposure to—

  2. an escape, a spillage, or a leakage of a substance; or
    1. an implosion, explosion, or fire; or
      1. an escape of gas or steam; or
        1. an escape of a pressurised substance; or
          1. an electric shock; or
            1. the fall or release from a height of any plant, substance, or thing; or
              1. the collapse, overturning, failure, or malfunction of, or damage to, any plant that is required to be authorised for use in accordance with regulations; or
                1. the collapse or partial collapse of a structure; or
                  1. the collapse or failure of an excavation or any shoring supporting an excavation; or
                    1. the inrush of water, mud, or gas in workings in an underground excavation or tunnel; or
                      1. the interruption of the main system of ventilation in an underground excavation or tunnel; or
                        1. a collision between 2 vessels, a vessel capsize, or the inrush of water into a vessel.

                            1. Despite subsection (1), notifiable incident does not include an incident declared by regulations not be a notifiable incident for the purposes of this Act.

                            2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, a notifiable incident also means any unplanned or uncontrolled incident in relation to a workplace that—

                            3. could expose a worker or any other person to serious risk to their health or safety; and
                              1. is declared by regulations to be a notifiable incident for the purposes of this Act.

                                Notes
                                • Section 24(1)(m): repealed, on , by section 16(1) of the Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 10).
                                • Section 25(3): inserted, on , by section 16(2) of the Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Act 2025 (2025 No 10).