Do you need a license to do audits and investigations in the area of health and safety?
The Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) has been looking into whether their laws require external auditors and investigators of health and safety to be licenced. The Authority agreed that there were parts of health and safety investigators' jobs that were similar to those of private investigators, so they thought the Act did apply to them. Section 5 of the Act doesn't include health and safety auditors in the definition of a private investigator. This means that the Act doesn't require them to be licenced or certified.
Health and safety professionals whose job it is to do health and safety investigations are private investigators, as defined by section 5 of the Act. They should be licenced or certified with the PSPLA, except for the proviso below. This decision applies to employees who work as health and safety investigators, which is what section 13 of the Act says. The Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ) and its member organisations are better equipped than the PSPLA to regulate and keep an eye on health and safety professionals. So, anyone on the HASANZ register or who is a member of a HASANZ member organisation does not need to also have a licence or certificate from the PSPLA, and the Authority will not accept complaints against them for not doing so. With their codes of ethics and ways to file complaints, member bodies are best equipped to handle any problems that might come up.
Here at Bedrock Solutions Sarita is a professional member of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and HASANZ accredited Health and Safety Practitioner, so you can be assured that she is committed to maintaining her skills to ensure compliance with all legal requirements. If you’d like some help in the health and safety space, do not hesitate to reach out 03 337 0493 or click here to contact us.
Date Posted: 07 October 2022