From the top

Senior business executives have agreed to set up a business and government leaders’ forum on health and safety to help reduce work-related accidents and illnesses.

More than 20 senior executives from some of New Zealand’s largest companies attended a chief executive summit on workplace health and safety this month to voice their support for the forum. The meeting was also attended by Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson and the chief executives of the Department of Labour and ACC.

The summit affirmed a commitment to further develop a business and government leaders’ forum on health and safety. The governance structure, membership criteria and broad action areas for the new group were also endorsed.

A core group of senior business leaders led by Peter Smith, managing director of Progressive Enterprises, and Cos Bruyn, chief executive of Downer EDI Works, has volunteered to form the inaugural steering group, mandated to develop a vision and indicative work programme for the forum.

Ms Wilkinson commended business leaders at the summit for demonstrating committed leadership to reducing the considerable social and economic cost of workplace injuries and illness.

The DoL says leaders of the country’s biggest companies are in a prime position to influence safety practices and attitudes not just in their own workplace, but among a much wider group including their suppliers, customers and others industry players.

Smith and Bruyn highlighted the unique opportunity presented by the forum. It was an opportunity for business leaders and the government to work together to reduce the work toll and make a concrete difference to New Zealand society, they said.

The next step towards launching the forum will take place on August 26, when a group of senior health and safety practitioners will meet with DoL and ACC officials in Auckland to identify some practical actions to support the forum’s work..

The summit followed an earlier gathering in May, when the concept of a leaders’ forum on health and safety was first raised with executives.

This story appeared in Safeguard Update newsletter of 24 August.

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