If you are working in construction in New Zealand, you have health and safety rights. It’s important you understand these rights so you can stay safe at work.
What are your health and safety rights at work?
As an employee, you have health and safety rights at work provided by law. You have the right to:
- Work in a safe environment – Your employer must manage workplace hazards and make sure you know how to keep yourself safe. Hazards are things that might cause harm to you or your health.
- Work with safe machinery, vehicles, tools and equipment – All workplace tools, equipment, vehicles and machinery must be safe for you to use and in good working condition.
- Have access to: toilets and hand-washing facilities, clean drinking water, first aid facilities, a place to have a meal break in reasonable comfort and shelter.
- Understand what to do in an emergency – Your employer must tell you what to do in an emergency, such as how to escape if there’s a fire.
- Training before you start – Your employer must make sure you have been trained to carry out your work safely. You can ask for extra training if you think you need it.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) – Your employer must provide you with personal protective equipment (PPE) if it’s needed to keep you safe, such as: hard hats, gloves and shoes, ear muffs and glasses, and breathing protection.
- Stop unsafe work – You can say ‘no’ to a job if you think it’s likely to cause you serious harm. However, you must tell your employer as soon as you can. If you are injured at work let your employer know as soon as possible.
- Access information – Your employer must give you information about health and safety at your workplace in a way that you can understand.
- Get involved – Your employer must let you be involved in improving health and safety at work.