Seven of these answers are no
Most of the rules people believe are in New Zealand health and safety law are not there. No lifting weight limit, no hazard register, no first aider ratio, no fire warden ratio, no forklift licence, no site induction by that name, no refresher interval. The duty in almost every case is the same one written in general terms, and the business decides what meets it.
Each page quotes the instrument and gives the section number. Where a rule people repeat at a toolbox talk does not appear in the wording, the page says so and names what does appear instead.
Is there a legal lifting weight limit in New Zealand?
No. New Zealand law sets no maximum weight a worker may lift. The figures quoted as limits come from a WorkSafe screening tool that says in its own text they are not weight limits.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 section 36, GRWM Regulations 2016 regulation 15
Is a hazard register required by law in New Zealand?
No. The words hazard register do not appear in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 or the General Risk and Workplace Management Regulations. The duty is to identify hazards and manage the risks. A small set of other records are compulsory.
Where it sits: GRWM Regulations 2016 regulations 5 to 8, HSWA 2015 section 57
How many first aiders does a New Zealand workplace need?
No number and no ratio. Regulation 13 asks for an adequate number of trained people, judged against the work, the hazards, the site and the workforce. WorkSafe's own guide gives three worked examples and none of them is one per ten.
Where it sits: GRWM Regulations 2016 regulation 13
How many fire wardens does a New Zealand workplace need?
No legal minimum. New Zealand law does not require fire wardens at all. What it requires is that everyone gets out safely and promptly and that someone can account for every person.
Where it sits: Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 section 76, 2018 fire safety regulations
Do you need a forklift licence in New Zealand?
No. There is no forklift licence in New Zealand law. The duty is on the business to make sure the person on the machine is trained and competent. The separate driver licence rule only bites when the forklift goes on a road.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 section 36, Approved Code of Practice for Training Operators 1995
Is lockout tagout required by law in New Zealand?
Yes, for machinery being cleaned, maintained or repaired. Regulation 17 of the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 is still in force and is the only New Zealand instrument using the words lock-out. Tagout comes from WorkSafe guidance.
Where it sits: Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 regulation 17
Is a site induction legally required in New Zealand?
Not by that name. The duties an induction exists to meet are compulsory: information, training, instruction and supervision, working with other businesses on a shared site, and adequate training.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 sections 34 and 36, GRWM Regulations 2016 regulation 9
How often does health and safety training have to be repeated in New Zealand?
There is no general refresher period in law. The Act and regulations require training that is necessary and adequate for the work and leave the timing to the business. A few certificates and licences do expire on a fixed date.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 section 36, GRWM Regulations 2016 regulation 9
What does New Zealand law require on psychosocial hazards?
There is no regulation specific to psychosocial risk and no approved code of practice on it. The duty is real and enforceable, and it comes from the general duties and from the definition of health, which covers physical and mental health.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 sections 16 and 36, WorkSafe good practice guidelines April 2025
What does manual handling training have to cover in New Zealand?
There is no prescribed syllabus. The guide sets out what manual handling covers, what the law expects of a business, how to assess and control the risk, and where training sits against redesigning the task.
Where it sits: HSWA 2015 section 36, GRWM Regulations 2016 regulations 9 and 15
Who is most likely to spot New Zealand's next unwanted pest?
The worker unloading a container, checking a pallet or handling freight that arrived this morning. The detection network runs through warehouses and transitional facilities rather than laboratories.
Where it sits: Biosecurity Act 1993, MPI transitional facility standard TFGEN 2025
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