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Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

Worker engagement, participation, and representation - Health and safety representatives and health and safety committees - Health and safety committees

66: Health and safety committees

You could also call this:

“Setting up workplace health and safety committees”

You or your co-workers can ask your workplace to set up a health and safety committee. If you’re a health and safety representative for a group of workers, or if five or more workers at your workplace want one, you can make this request.

When your workplace gets this request, they must set up a health and safety committee as soon as they can. Your workplace can also decide to set up a committee on their own, even if no one has asked for one.

If your workplace doesn’t set up a committee after someone has asked for one, they’re breaking the law. If it’s a person in charge who doesn’t do this, they could be fined up to $5,000. If it’s a company or organisation, they could be fined up to $25,000.

Remember, these committees are there to help keep everyone safe at work. They’re an important part of making sure your workplace follows health and safety rules.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM6447100.

Topics:
Work and jobs > Workplace safety
Work and jobs > Worker rights
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65: Determination of numbers of health and safety representatives for work groups, or

“Deciding how many health and safety reps a work group can have”

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67: Further provisions relating to health and safety representatives and health and safety committees, or

“Additional regulations for workplace safety representatives and committees”

Part 3 Worker engagement, participation, and representation
Health and safety representatives and health and safety committees: Health and safety committees

66Health and safety committees

  1. The following persons may request the PCBU at a workplace to establish a health and safety committee for the business or undertaking or part of the business or undertaking:

  2. a health and safety representative for a work group of workers carrying out work at that workplace; or
    1. 5 or more workers at that workplace.

      1. The PCBU must, as soon as practicable after receiving a request under subsection (1), establish a health and safety committee for the business or undertaking or part of the business or undertaking.

      2. A PCBU at a workplace may establish a health and safety committee for the workplace or part of the workplace on the PCBU’s own initiative.

      3. A person who contravenes subsection (2) commits an offence and is liable on conviction,—

      4. for an individual, to a fine not exceeding $5,000:
        1. for any other person, to a fine not exceeding $25,000.

          Notes
          • Section 66: replaced, on , by section 5 of the Health and Safety at Work (Health and Safety Representatives and Committees) Amendment Act 2023 (2023 No 30).