The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 introduces a clearer expectation: organisations must focus on their critical risks.
Once enacted, every New Zealand business will need to answer a simple question:
What are our critical risks, and are we managing them effectively?
What is a Critical Risk?
A critical risk is any hazard with the credible potential to cause:
- Death
- Life-altering injury
- Serious chronic illness
The Act also identifies specific regulated risks in Schedule 1A—these are existing high-risk activities already covered by regulations.
What’s Actually Changing?
The concept itself isn’t new. Most organisations already focus on high-consequence risks.
What is changing is the expectation to clearly prioritise them—and to be able to demonstrate that you are doing so.
This means:
- Focusing resources on the risks that can cause the most harm
- Monitoring those risks more closely
- Reviewing controls more frequently
Importantly, this does not mean ignoring lower-level risks. It’s about proportionality, not exclusion.