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Waste Waste Streams
Health and safety advice for New Zealand businesses reusing or recycling WEEE
The Department of Labour provides good practice information and guidance to help New Zealand businesses with health and safety in the workplace.
The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 requires employers to take ‘all practicable steps’ to ensure the safety of their employees while they are at work. The Department of Labour inspects workplaces to check on safety and health arrangements, investigate accidents at work, and make sure employers and employees comply with health and safety legislation. They are responsible for enforcing the regulations for storing and using hazardous substances, explosives and dangerous goods.
The Department of Labour website has comprehensive guidance for workplaces on:
- understanding your responsibilities in managing health and safety
- making a health and safety plan
- monitoring and dealing with hazards
- managing staff to make sure they are safe
- investigating and reporting incidents and accidents.
The website also contains a catalogue of approved codes of practice, bulletins, manuals and legislation applicable to certain elements of WEEE processing.
WasteMINZ has developed a Health and Safety in the Waste Industry: Industry Strategy (www.wasteminz.org.nz, PDF, 374 KB). The strategy provides an overarching direction for health and safety in the waste sector and identifies risk areas within the sector.
Last updated:15 March 2011
