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HSWA 2015 Reforms: What Businesses with Fewer Than 20 Employees Need to Know

 

With nearly ten years under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), the Government has introduced reforms to ease the compliance burden on small, low‑risk businesses while keeping the focus on what really matters: preventing serious harm.

 

On 31 March 2025, Minister Brooke van Velden announced a carve‑out for businesses with fewer than 20 employees in low‑risk sectors. Under this change, these enterprises need only manage “critical risks”—those capable of causing death, serious injury or serious illness—and provide basic welfare facilities such as first‑aid, drinking water, suitable lighting and ventilation.

 

Documentation requirements have also been simplified. Small businesses can now adopt proportionate safety systems instead of maintaining bulky manuals and extensive paperwork. In practice, this means streamlined risk registers and procedures that focus on high‑priority hazards, allowing operators to dedicate more time to practical controls and staff engagement.

 

To provide greater certainty around compliance, Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs) will become recognised safe‑harbour instruments. Following an ACOP will automatically satisfy the HSWA duty‑holder obligations in that area—whether it’s machinery guarding, manual handling or emergency planning—reducing legal uncertainty about what is “reasonably practicable.”

 

The reforms also sharpen HSWA’s principal purpose to “prevent work‑related harm by managing critical risks arising from work.” By aligning legislative intent with real‑world practice, the changes discourage low‑value, tick‑box activities and encourage everyone—from business owners to frontline staff—to concentrate on the controls that deliver the greatest safety impact.

 

At QHSE.co.nz, we’ve long prioritised identifying and mitigating critical risks through practical, risk‑based solutions. This reform package complements our approach: we help you uncover your operation’s most serious hazards, implement proportionate controls and leverage ACOP safe‑harbours to lock in compliance certainty. Whether it’s machinery guarding, hazardous substances management or tailored training, our focus remains on what truly keeps people safe.

 

Key actions for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees:

 

• Map your critical risks. Identify hazards capable of causing death, serious injury or illness.

• Review your safety systems. Replace unwieldy manuals with concise procedures targeting those risks.

• Adopt relevant ACOPs. Follow sector‑specific safe‑harbour guidance to satisfy your HSWA duties.

• Maintain awareness of secondary hazards. Ensure medium‑severity risks aren’t overlooked as you streamline.

 

If you’d like to explore how these changes might impact your operation, call us at QHSE.co.nz for a free discussion tailored to your business’s needs.