WorkSafe inspectors head to farms and residential builds in proactive safety push

WorkSafe New Zealand health and safety inspectors will carry out proactive assessment visits to beef and lamb farms and residential construction sites across Aotearoa New Zealand from October to December 2026.

The visits will focus on how businesses are managing critical health and safety risks – such as vehicles, hazardous substances and remote work on farms, and falls from working at height on residential construction sites.

WorkSafe is focusing on agriculture and construction because of the high numbers of deaths and serious injuries in these sectors.

“These proactive visits to workplaces in high-risk industries help ensure businesses and workers understand their health and safety responsibilities,” says WorkSafe’s Head of Inspectorate Rob Pope.

“It gives our inspectors the opportunity to talk with people on site about how they keep themselves and others safe, and provide guidance to make improvements where needed.”

Information gathered from assessments also gives WorkSafe insights on current practices to understand how risks are being managed, to inform how it supports businesses to prevent harm.

WorkSafe’s visits to sheep, beef and dairy farms in 2025 found significant gaps in vehicle safety and hazardous substances management.

Following the 2025 assessments, WorkSafe developed free learning modules to help agricultural businesses and workers safely use and manage hazardous substances.