Hon Simon Bridges

Minister of Labour

8 August  2013       Media Statement       

More funding for a safe Canterbury rebuild

The Government will fund nearly $11 million over four years for a dedicated health and safety programme for the Canterbury rebuild.

“This programme will actively support safety in the construction sector and focus on harm reduction across the rebuild,” says Labour Minister Simon Bridges.

“The funding is part of the Government’s Working Safer package, announced yesterday, which represents a major step towards reducing New Zealand’s workplace injury and death toll by 25 percent by 2020.

“Already in Canterbury we are seeing a strong commitment towards health and safety, with the launch recently of the innovative Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter, a joint partnership with industry leaders and government,” Mr Bridges says.

“We now need to build on this. We want to provide better protection for workers on the rebuild and reduce the number of people being hurt on site.”

Working Safer outlines a series of initiatives to be carried out by the Canterbury Rebuild Health and Safety Programme, with the aim of bringing broader benefits to the construction industry nationwide.

These include working with industry to implement the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter; focusing on high risk areas, particularly asbestos exposure and falls from height; provision of safety performance data for industry and government; and targeting high-risk communities across the rebuild.

Full details on Working Safer: http://www.mbie.govt.nz/what-we-do/workplace-health-and-safety-reform

Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter www.safetycharter.org.nz

ENDS

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