Document history

Background

Tuatahi First Fibre Limited (Tuatahi) believes that to deliver on its corporate strategy and achieve optimum business performance, it requires Health, Safety and Wellness (HSW) Policy and Objectives which are aligned to, and compatible with its corporate strategy.

A positive and robust HSW culture is only possible if it is aligned with strategy, and that every stakeholder knows their part, and plays their part.

Tuatahi is fully committed to providing safe and healthy working conditions for the prevention of work-related injury and ill health. Tuatahi is also committed to the aspiration of providing zero harm workplaces and recognises that to achieve this, a continuous improvement approach is fundamental.

1. Purpose

This policy recognises all recent enhancements and supersedes all previous policy regarding HSW at Tuatahi.

This Board HSW Policy and Commitments Statement has a number of functions:

• to set out the Boards commitment to providing safe and healthy working conditions for the prevention of work-related injury and ill-health and to acknowledge its primary duty of care and other commitments under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA);
• to provide the framework for the setting and delivery of Tuatahi’s HSW Objectives through the implementation and management of the Tuatahi HSW Management System (HSWMS); and
• to articulate the Board’s expectations of good safety behaviours from all Tuatahi People towards each other, consistent with the Tuatahi culture, and to recognise each and every person’s role as a duty holder under the HSWA.

2. Scope and application

This is a Tuatahi Board Policy.

3. Key concepts

4. Policy and Commitments

4.1. Tuatahi Commitments

Tuatahi will provide a safe and healthy environment for all Tuatahi People to prevent work related injury and ill health. To achieve this, Tuatahi recognises that it holds a primary duty of care and that it will, so far as is reasonably practicable, discharge this duty by:

• Complying with relevant Legislation and New Zealand best practice;
• Eliminating hazards, reducing risks and seeking out HSW opportunities for improvement;
• Continuing investment in new systems, training, and staff development, across Tuatahi;
• Proactively supporting the rehabilitation and safe return to work of injured Tuatahi People;
• Requiring all Tuatahi People to comply with Tuatahi’s HSW requirements and to manage their own activities, in accordance with the HSW Policy and Commitments Statement;
• Ensuring consultation, cooperation, and coordination with all Tuatahi People in developing Policies, Procedures, Processes and Guidelines;
• Reporting to the Board, Material Incidents and safety observations to promote awareness and opportunities for continuous improvement, along with incident investigations to identify causal factors and to prevent recurrence;
• Establishing forums to engage with field partners and service providers on HSW matters related to work on, or around Tuatahi assets and the assets of others;
• Enabling and encouraging continuous improvement for all HSW systems and business practices through vigilant monitoring, reporting, auditing, and review processes;
• Selecting contractors (in its role as a PCBU) using good practice prequalification, then establishing clear and effective reporting, along with co-designing projects to eliminate or minimise risks;
• Promoting HSW awareness throughout Tuatahi’s operations, allowing and encouraging all Tuatahi People to advise each other when procedures are not followed and to stop work, if at any time it is considered to be unsafe; and
• Managing risks by identifying and reporting workplace hazards; reporting shared learnings; where practicable, eliminating or minimising the potential for harm to Tuatahi People and the public; and by managing those risks that cannot be eliminated, through the effective assurance of key controls.

4.2. Tuatahi Officers’ Commitments and Responsibilities

Tuatahi Officers, as duty holders, will be involved in the creation and maintenance of a robust HSW culture.

Where Tuatahi has a duty or obligation under the HSWA, Tuatahi Officers will exercise the care, diligence, and skill that a reasonable officer would exercise in the same circumstances, taking into account (without limitation):

• the nature of the Tuatahi business; and
• the position of the Officer and the nature of the responsibilities undertaken by the Officer.

Due diligence includes taking reasonable steps:

(a) to acquire, and keep up to date, knowledge of work health and safety matters; and

(b) to gain an understanding of the nature of the operations of the business or undertaking of Tuatahi and generally of the hazards and risks associated with those operations; and

(c) to ensure that Tuatahi has available for use, and uses, appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks to health and safety from work carried out as part of the conduct of the business of Tuatahi; and

(d) to ensure that Tuatahi has appropriate processes for receiving and considering information regarding incidents, hazards, and risks, and for responding in a timely way to that information; and

(e) to ensure that Tuatahi has, and implements, processes for complying with any duty or obligation of Tuatahi under the HSWA; and

(f) to verify the provision and use of the resources and processes referred to in paragraphs (c) to (e).

4.3. Tuatahi’s Commitments as a PCBU with overlapping duties

Tuatahi recognises that it has overlapping responsibilities as a Lead PCBU in respect of all projects delivered by its key outsourced field partners and other contractors. Tuatahi therefore sets clear HSW expectations of field partners and contractors and incorporates these into their contracts.

Tuatahi will consult, cooperate and coordinate with any and all other PCBUs’ with whom Tuatahi has overlapping duties and responsibilities.

Tuatahi will establish forums to engage with service providers on HSW matters related to work on, or around Tuatahi assets and the assets of others.

4.4. Tuatahi Workers’ Commitments and Responsibilities

Tuatahi Workers have their own HSW duties.

Tuatahi Workers must:

• take reasonable care for their own HSW;
• take reasonable care that what they do, or do not do, does not adversely affect the HSW of other persons;
• co-operate with any reasonable workplace HSW rules, procedures, processes, or guidelines that have been notified to them;
• comply, so far as reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction given by Tuatahi, so Tuatahi can comply with the HSWA and other relevant legislation; and
• take personal responsibility for their own and others’ actions in the workplace, driving the overall cultural aspirations of Tuatahi of maintaining a healthy and safe workplace, free from harm.

5. Confirmation of HSW Delegations from the Board to the CEO

The Board has delegated full power to the Office of the CEO to manage the responsibilities of Tuatahi around HSW and acknowledges as follows:

• The Board has collective responsibilities, as the Board of Tuatahi, under the HSWA;
• The Board has recognised in approving this Board HSW Policy and Commitments Statement, that all operational and administrative actions needed to deliver on this policy, will be implemented by the CEO in accordance with the delegations in “the Finance Policies and Procedures Manual” or as delegated by the CEO, where appropriate;
• The Board acknowledges that nothing in this delegation of powers is intended to conflict with the principle enshrined in Section 31 of the HSWA, that a duty imposed on a person (as defined in the HSWA) by or under the HSWA may not be transferred to another person; and
• The Board also recognises that if Tuatahi has a duty or an obligation under the HSWA, an Officer of Tuatahi (as defined in HSWA) must exercise due diligence to ensure that Tuatahi complies with that duty or obligation. The Officers (as defined in the HSWA) of Tuatahi have delegated to the CEO, the power to establish process and procedures in consultation with the Officers, to enable Officers to carry out appropriate due diligence.

6. Policy Implementation and Monitoring

The principles and policies outlined in this document will be implemented by the Tuatahi Board and Executive Management Team, in accordance with the separation of governance and management reflected in the financial and non-financial delegations, and the Board Charter.

Through effective communication, Tuatahi will ensure that this Board HSW Policy and Commitments Statement is widely shared, drives all documentation decisions, and is accessible to all. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that Tuatahi delivers both now and in the future.

The CEO is responsible for communicating this content to ensure all employees, partners, contractors, and business units are aware of the Board’s HSW Policy and Commitments, their own responsibilities, and are empowered to apply and embed them in business process.

The CEO will arrange for this document to be reviewed every two years, or sooner if required.

7. Related Documents

An understanding of the following document is essential to ensure successful application of the Policy.

Health and safety at work