Policies state intentions, not duties
"We are committed to safety" is not a policy position. Who is responsible for what, under which section, is.
Health and Safety Policy Template (NZ)
The signed statement that sits at the top of your H&S system — written in HSWA 2015 duty language, with the PCBU, officer, worker and other-person responsibilities set out as they actually fall under the Act.
⚖️HSWA 2015 duty language
👷Reviewed by OH Professionals
✏️Editable .docx
NZD 99
Instant DownloadInstant download · Editable .docx
Almost every prequalification questionnaire, tender response and main contractor onboarding pack opens by asking for your health and safety policy. The version most businesses submit is a page of intentions — we are committed to a safe workplace — which says nothing about who carries which duty. HSWA 2015 allocates duties precisely: the PCBU holds the primary duty, officers hold a personal due-diligence duty, workers hold their own duties, and other persons at the workplace hold theirs. A policy written in that structure is both more useful internally and materially stronger under review.
Officer duties are missing entirely
Most templates omit the s44 officer duty because it did not exist under the 1992 Act. It is personal, non-delegable, and belongs in the policy.
Worker participation is asserted without a mechanism
Sections 61 and 62 require engagement and effective participation practices. The policy names the actual mechanism rather than claiming an open door.
Who this is for
- Businesses completing prequalification
- The first document SiteWise, Tōtika and Impac ask for. Written to answer the question they are actually asking.
- Subcontractors onboarding to a main contractor
- Submit with your SSSP at site onboarding.
- Growing businesses formalising their system
- The anchor document everything else references — register, procedures, induction.
- Directors and officers
- The policy is where the officer duty is publicly acknowledged and allocated.
The policy states position and responsibility. The procedures that implement it are a separate, larger document.
What's inside the template
Word — 8 pages (policy + responsibility schedule + signature page) · Formats: DOCX
- Section 1 — Policy statementThe signed commitment, written to be read aloud at an induction without embarrassment.
- Section 2 — ScopeWhich workers, workplaces, contractors and visitors the policy covers, and how it interacts with a principal's system.
- Section 3 — PCBU responsibilitiesThe primary duty of care expressed as specific commitments rather than a restatement of the section.hswa 36
- Section 4 — Officer responsibilitiesThe six due-diligence elements named and allocated.hswa 44
- Section 5 — Worker responsibilitiesReasonable care for own and others' safety, compliance with reasonable instruction, and the duty to report.
- Section 6 — Other persons at the workplaceVisitors, delivery drivers, clients on site.
- Section 7 — Worker engagement and participationThe named mechanism — HSR, committee, toolbox, or direct engagement — and how outcomes are fed back.hswa 61
- Section 8 — Overlapping dutiesHow the business consults, cooperates and coordinates where duties overlap with other PCBUs.
- Section 9 — Objectives and measuresWhat the business is actually aiming at, with leading measures rather than lost-time injury rate alone.
- Section 10 — ReviewReview interval, triggers, and who signs the reviewed version.
- Appendix A — Responsibility scheduleOne-page grid: role against duty, for pinning up.
- Appendix B — Signature and version pageSigned by the most senior person, dated, versioned.
Compliance checklist
HSWA 2015 ss.36, 44, 45, 46, 61, 62
The policy allocates the duties HSWA creates. Each responsibility section maps to the section of the Act that creates the duty it describes.
- s36PCBU primary duty of care so far as is reasonably practicable→ Section 3 — PCBU responsibilities
- s44Officer duty to exercise due diligence — six elements→ Section 4 — Officer responsibilities
- s45Worker duties — reasonable care, compliance with reasonable instruction, cooperation with policy→ Section 5 — Worker responsibilities
- s46Duties of other persons at the workplace→ Section 6 — Other persons at the workplace
- s61Duty to engage with workers on matters that may affect their health and safety→ Section 7 — Worker engagement and participation
- s62Duty to have effective worker participation practices→ Section 7, with the named mechanism
- s34Duty of PCBUs to consult, cooperate and coordinate where duties overlap→ Section 8 — Overlapping duties
How this template compares
Reviewed by OH Professionals
Written and reviewed by the occupational health and safety team at OH Consultant. Policies drafted against the Australian Model WHS Act read almost right in New Zealand and then use the wrong duty names, cite provisions that do not exist here, and omit the officer duty in the form HSWA created it. This policy is drafted from the New Zealand Act.
Legislation referenced
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 36 — Primary duty of care ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 44 — Officer due diligence ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 61 — Duty to engage with workers ↗
- Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — Section 62 — Duty to have effective worker participation practices ↗
- Health and Safety at Work (Worker Engagement, Participation, and Representation) Regulations 2016 — Worker participation practices and HSR functions ↗
Frequently asked
Is a written health and safety policy legally required in New Zealand?+
HSWA does not require a policy document in those words. It requires you to discharge the duties the Act creates and, under ss.61–62, to engage with workers and have effective participation practices. A policy is the ordinary way businesses set out how they do that, and it is a near-universal requirement of prequalification schemes, tenders and main contractor onboarding.
How long should a policy be?+
Short enough that people read it. This template runs to eight pages including the responsibility schedule and signature page, with the actual policy statement fitting on one. If your policy needs twenty pages, what you are writing is a manual.
Who should sign it?+
The most senior person in the business — managing director, owner, chief executive. The signature is part of the point: the policy allocates an officer duty, and it should be signed by someone who holds one.
What is the difference between a policy and a manual?+
The policy states position and allocates responsibility. The manual sets out the procedures that implement it — how hazards are identified, how incidents are reported, how contractors are managed. Prequalification usually asks for both, and they are sold separately here because a lot of businesses genuinely only need the policy first.
Will this pass SiteWise or Tōtika?+
It is written to answer the questions those schemes ask — duty allocation, participation mechanism, review cycle, signed and dated by a senior person. What a scheme assesses beyond the document is whether your system is in use, which no template can supply on your behalf.
How often should it be reviewed?+
Annually as a default, and additionally on any significant change — new work types, a restructure, a notifiable event, or a change in the officer group. Section 10 sets the interval and Appendix B holds the version history.