What is a Workplace Safety Discount (WSD)?
WSD is a way for small businesses and the self-employed to demonstrate sound health and safety practices and to save 10% on their ACC work cover levy.
How long does it last?
The discount applies for three tax years from the date your Application and Self-Assessment is approved, backdated to the beginning of that tax year. As part of the application, you will be required to complete an annual declaration to confirm your trading details.
Eligibility Criteria, you must be either:
- Self-employed; or
- Running a small to medium sized business with a total annual payroll of $537,000 (or less) or have 10 (or fewer) full-time employees.
What are ACC looking for in the application?
Four key areas of health and safety:
- Hazard Management - Identifying, assessing and controlling significant hazards is essential to preventing injuries. Good hazard management requires a proactive approach, staff involvement and regular reviews of the effectiveness of the controls.
- Incident and Accident Investigation - To ensure that hazards are identified, controlled and made part of your regular hazard management process, it's vital that your incident and accident investigations are thorough.
- Emergency Preparedness - You are legally required to follow safe practices on site. Planning to manage emergencies is part of practicing safety and needs to be done at the start of the project and reviewed as required.
- Information, Training and Supervision - All people working on the job need to know about the hazards they are likely to face. Inductions, relevant training and knowing when a staff member is safe to work unsupervised are key aspects to running a smart business.
In the construction industry, the Site Specific Safety Plan (SSSP) is seen as an effective way of achieving the above four key areas.
Training to assist your application
The WSD application requires you to have completed relevant training, or at least 12 months experience in a current or previous workplace position, in managing a health and safety system. (ie. Managing and implementing the four key areas mentioned above: hazard management, incident & accident investigation, emergency planning, and relevant training and supervision).
Site Safe Options for Training:
Completing one of the following Site Safe courses will meet the ACC criteria for relevant training for acceptance in the WSD programme:
1. Advanced Passport - Silver Card
2. Supervisor Gold Card
3. Supervisor Gold Card Update
(Please note: if you are new to health and safety we highly recommend you take the courses in the above order. Also, you must have successfully completed a Supervisor Gold Card course before sitting a Supervisor Gold Card Update.) By enrolling on the Advanced Passport - Silver Card course you'll give yourself the best start. You will get your site access straight away, be prepared for the Canterbury Rebuild, and have the skills to complete your ACC WSD application and get 10% off your ACC levies.
Why enrol for a Site Safe course to meet the ACC WSD criteria?
- Site access to the head of agreement main contractor sites across New Zealand.
- For those working in the Canterbury Safety Rebuild, Project Manager Officers who are managing the rebuild are looking for quality Site Specific Safety Plans (SSSP) and whether builders are on the WSD programme.
After training, how to get the 10% WSD:
- Complete your application. (Be sure to provide evidence to support the application, eg. Site Safe training course completion certificate, or policy and process documentation.)
- Send your application to the ACC Product Support team, for more information see: http://www.acc.co.nz/for-business/small-medium-and-large-business/how-to-pay-less/workplace-safety-discounts/index.htm
To see available Site Safe training courses, click here.
See the ACC website for more information, visit www.acc.co.nz