At the Spotlight on Safety Event held in Palmerston North on Tuesday 26th August, the Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Hon. Brooke van Velden officially launched new guidance for forestry.
This included:
the Approved Code of Practice [ACOP] for Forestry and Harvesting Operations, and
the Health and Safety when Managing a Small Forest Harvest Good Practice Guidelines (GPG)
The guidance is now in effect and available on the WorkSafe website.
About the guidance
The guidance outlines the responsibilities and legal expectations for forestry operators, and helps workers know what good looks like. It uses simplified, shared language, to make it easier for businesses to understand what’s required of them.
The guidance is good practice. It helps businesses meet their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA). It sets a good direction for improving health and safety outcomes in forestry.
It also combines technical health and safety knowledge with hands-on industry expertise, to set out practical guidance for everyone involved in forestry work. That technical information has been updated to better reflect HSWA.
What’s changed?
WorkSafe has summarised the key technical changes of the ACOP below. A more detailed document of changes is below.
The guidance has been simplified.
We use ‘must’ to refer to things that are legal requirements under health and safety law. Where ‘must’ isn’t used, it’s a recommended action that’s good practice. This helps businesses and workers better understand what’s needed.
There is now a significant section on work-related health.
There is a new section on establishment and silviculture.
There is a new section on winch-assisted harvesting.
The section on controlled fires and burn offs has been removed as this is better managed by Fire and Emergency New Zealand.
There is no section on helicopter logging.
What’s staying the same?
The purpose of the ACOP stays the same – it sets out how forestry operations should be carried out in a way that keeps people healthy and safe on the job.
The ACOP explains relevant legal requirements and provides good practice guidance. It still includes technical guidance.
While it isn’t health and safety law, it gives business and workers a strong direction for improving health and safety.
Forestry businesses still need to have their own systems and processes in place. The ACOP and GPG should continue to be used alongside other guidance from industry leaders that covers more detailed operational requirements of forestry work – e.g. FISC Best Practice Guidance. To make it seamless, this industry guidance is referenced in the ACOP.
Putting the ACOP into practice
WorkSafe has developed education resources to help businesses and workers understand the new ACOP and put it into practice.
Learning and resources
The online learning modules cover key topics such as what’s changed in the ACOP and how it links with HSWA, overlapping duties, managing risks, worker involvement in health and safety, and what ‘reasonably practicable’ means, all in a forestry context.
There are two fact sheets for workers, one focusing on PPE and one on how workers can be more involved in health and safety.
We encourage you to use these resources and share them with your networks. You can find them on the WorkSafe website.
Continuing engagement
WorkSafe will continue to work with forestry sector leads to get the guidance out to the sector, and build on the constructive relationship we’ve built while developing the ACOP.
They’ll continue to carry out workplace assessments, which are proactive and planned visits to a workplace that help us engage and educate businesses about health and safety matters. Our Inspectorate will engage early, supporting businesses to understand the ACOP, to understand their health and safety obligations, and help them get it right.
WorkSafe extends thanks
WorkSafe says "it was important that we got this guidance right, and we’re grateful for such strong input from the sector. Thank you for your time, knowledge, and feedback throughout this process."
For more information about the guidance, please visit worksafe.govt.nz. You can find the guidance on the homepage.
If you have any questions about either the ACOP or the GPG, reach out to WorkSafe at: guidanceandeducationdevelopment@worksafe.govt.nz
