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NEW ZEALAND HEALTH & SAFETY
Is Manual Handling a “Critical Risk” in the new Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026
Manual handling has always been a workplace risk. But changes to New Zealand’s health and safety legislation mean understanding just how serious that risk could be is becoming even more important.
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Short answer: Yes it does. But not in the way that you think. Before I explain how, I first must explain the changes around “critical risks”.
It is no longer solely up to businesses to determine what their key risks are. The government now decides what you NEED to prioritise. They have called these “Critical risks”. If you’re late to the party on the coming changes to the Health & Safety at Work Act (April 2027), you need to keep reading!
There are two ways a hazard falls within the new "Critical Risks" category.
Firstly, if the “critical risks” list names the risk / hazard then you MUST prioritise it. The list covers things like asbestos, hazardous substances, mining, working at heights and noise in the workplace.
The second way a hazard becomes a “Critical Risk” is through a judgement call. Is this hazard likely to result in:
- a death,
- a notifiable injury or illness,
- a notifiable incident
- an occupational disease serious enough to appear on ACC’s official list?
This second pathway is where we find manual handling risk. It’s because it can lead to a “notifiable injury or incident”.
Let's run through a case study:
Picture two male’s repetitively lifting a 15kg bag from a pallet to a table. Both performing the same task. Shouldn’t be too much of an issue for a male adult right?
Now let’s add in some risk factors: one is healthy & fit, 22 year old. The other, a 68 year old who has had previous lower back injuries. Can you see how the risk profile of each person changes with this task?
The 68-year old has a higher risk of an injury occurring and becoming a notifiable injury or incident. Thus making this hazard a “Critical Risk”.
And this is one example of how a worker’s age, injury history & physical capacity effects risk. There are also many other manual handling risks to consider. Work/task design, volume & speed demands and worker fatigue to name a few.
Outside the legislation, how about the headache that comes when dealing with this kind of injury. Impacting your business at different levels. From H&S, to the operation managers, supervisors & the front line staff. The production, financial and cultural costs add up.
Put your hand up if the PTSD from that lower back injury at your site is running through your mind right now!
So, do you currently have an effective plan in place to manage this “Critical Risk”? An effective plan to identify, assess and control? If not, let’s point you in the right direction.
How psychosocial hazards lead to physical injury
If you are a business with a decent amount of manual handling, I have to be straightforward here. Bring in a proactive health and wellbeing service that will help manage & control manual handling risks!
This includes:
The new amendments place greater emphasis on identifying and prioritising critical risks. For businesses with significant manual handling demands, that makes having a clear, proactive approach to assessing and managing these risks more important than ever.
Employ Health can support this process with practical services that help identify where risk sits, understand the factors contributing to it, and put appropriate controls in place.
A good thing to remember is that this isn’t box-ticking! It is focussing on key risks which will begin nudging all site KPI’s in the right direction. And improving the safety of your workplace!
Note: the size of the effect may differ in other industries.
Employ Health can help
Employ Health can assess the manual handling and physical work risks in the real working environment. Then you will understand where the greatest harm sits and where investment should be prioritised.
From April 2027, the law is putting a greater emphasis on prioritising critical risks and ensuring they are being managed. Ensure that you have an appropriate plan in place.
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