WorkSafe New Zealand: Reasonably Practicable Risk Decisions Under the HSWA
New Zealand's Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 establishes a clear hierarchy for managing hazards by eliminating or minimising risks where reasonably practicable.
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Country: New Zealand. Research snapshot: 2026-10-20. Source / development date: not established; do not infer a new legal change.
Unresolved verification flags
The source is a regulator's summary of the Act, not the full current statute. Verify mental-health definitions, officer duties, shared duties and any enacted reforms against current legislation.
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Country: New Zealand. Development date: not established. Research snapshot date: 20 October 2026.
The Standard of Reasonably Practicable
This qualifying standard applies across general operational decisions, upstream design under sections 39 to 43, multi-PCBU coordination under section 34, and worker engagement under Part 3 [source: launch-source-09]. Duty holders are not required to eliminate all theoretical risks at any cost, but they must make reasoned, objective risk management determinations based on what can reasonably be achieved [source: launch-source-09].
The Risk Management Hierarchy
First, a PCBU must try to eliminate the risk so far as is reasonably practicable [source: launch-source-09]. Elimination involves removing the source of harm entirely, such as removing faulty equipment or eliminating a physical hazard [source: launch-source-09]. Second, if it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk, the PCBU must minimise the risk so far as is reasonably practicable [source: launch-source-09]. Minimisation requires implementing controls that reduce the likelihood or severity of harm when the hazard itself cannot be fully eradicated [source: launch-source-09].