Media release: NZIER report vindicates The New Zealand Initiative’s criticisms of WorkSafe NZ’s safety campaign
Wellington (19 October 2017): Yesterday, the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment released a NZIER report that discredits a WorkSafe NZ safety campaign that started in November 2011.
In our report, A Matter of Balance: Regulating Safety, in July 2015, we criticised the government and officials for launching a costly campaign to reduce workplace falls from heights of less than three metres. The campaign was not assessed on whether it would provide value-for-money for the community.
Our report gave quantified reasons why it looked like it did not. Despite this, WorkSafe NZ rubbised our report when briefing its minister.
Two years later the NZIER’s report finds that the imposed costs for new single storey house construction alone exceed the benefits. We suspect that the imbalance would be even greater for repairs and maintenance, such as roof repaints.
Dr Bryce Wilkinson, author of A Matter of Balance: Regulating Safety, says: “It is right to be concerned about health and safety. Employers and employees must pay attention to it. At the same time, every regulation needs to be justified. Competent assessments of value-for-money should be mandatory prior to spending other people’s money either directly or through regulation. This episode makes it look as if MBIE and WorkSafe NZ don’t really care.”
The New Zealand Initiative believes that for ministers to make informed funding decisions they should first require their officials to complete credible value-for-money assessments.
We want to know what went wrong this time and what officials are doing to stop it from happening again. Only aspects of the campaign that can be competently justified should continue.
Read more:
A Matter of Balance: Regulating Safety
ENDS
Dr Bryce Wilkinson is available for interviews, please contact:
Linda Heerink, Communications Officer
The New Zealand Initiative
Phone: +64 4 494 9109
Mobile: +64 21 172 8036
Email: linda.heerink@nzinitiative.org.nz