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Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Enforcement and other matters - Inspectors and health and safety medical practitioners - Health and safety medical practitioners

186: Immunity of health and safety medical practitioners and persons assisting health and safety medical practitioners

You could also call this:

“Health and safety medical practitioners and their assistants are protected from legal action while doing their job”

If you are a health and safety medical practitioner, or someone who helps a health and safety medical practitioner, you don’t have to worry about getting in trouble for things you do or don’t do while doing your job. This protection applies as long as you are trying your best to do your job properly and following the rules set out in health and safety laws. It means you can’t be taken to court or punished for criminal or civil matters related to your work, as long as you are acting in good faith.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM5977174.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Workplace safety
Health and wellbeing > Healthcare services
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“Doctor can stop you from doing unsafe work”

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187: Offence to hinder or obstruct health and safety medical practitioner, or

“It's illegal to interfere with a health and safety medical practitioner's work”

Part 4 Enforcement and other matters
Inspectors and health and safety medical practitioners: Health and safety medical practitioners

186Immunity of health and safety medical practitioners and persons assisting health and safety medical practitioners

  1. A health and safety medical practitioner or a person called on to assist a health and safety medical practitioner is not liable in any criminal or civil proceedings for any act done or omitted to be done in good faith in the performance or exercise, or intended performance or exercise, of his or her functions or powers under relevant health and safety legislation.