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Home › Managing health and safety › Getting started › Understanding the law
Getting started

Understanding the law

Find out more about the key concepts of HSWA – New Zealand's workplace health and safety law.

Understanding the law

Primary duty of care

Under HSWA, a business or undertaking (PCBU) must look after the health and safety of its workers and any other workers it influences or directs.

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Overlapping duties

Businesses working together for the health and safety of everyone in the workplace is a fundamental part of HSWA's design.

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Upstream duties

Businesses who are in the supply chain have a duty to ensure that the work they do or the things they provide to other workplaces don't create health and safety risks.

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Volunteers

Find out more about how HSWA applies to volunteers and officers who are volunteers.

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What is a Health and Safety Representative?

An HSR is a worker who has been elected by the members of their work group to represent them in health and safety matters.

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Offences and penalties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015

There are a range of offences and penalties under HSWA and regulations. Imprisonment is reserved for the most serious offences.

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