Good News from ACC – Workplace injury prevention subsidies

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From this month Kiwi businesses will be able to make a bid for a share of a new $22 million fund that’s been created to help improve workplace health and safety.

“This funding will support Kiwi businesses to access effective health and safety solutions and share learnings and innovations to tackle the unknown. We want all Kiwis to return home to their friends and whanau in the same health as when they began their day at work.”

ACC recognizes that many organisations do not have the financial resources, capability or capacity to invest in health and safety improvements and innovation. As part of the new programme two types of assistance will be available:

Workplace injury prevention grants

These grants will provide funding for organisations to help solve workplace health and safety problems that affect multiple businesses in an industry or supply chain.

Workplace injury prevention subsidies

Injury prevention subsidies are available to help small to medium businesses access services and other supports that are known to improve workplace health and safety.

 

How workplace Injury prevention subsidies work:

Injury prevention subsidies are available to help small to medium businesses access services and other supports that are known to improve workplace health and safety.   

There are three types of subsidies:

  • workforce capability development (e.g. training courses)
  • professional health and safety consulting advice, and
  • capital investment that has health and safety outcomes (e.g. people moving equipment).

Subsidies are generally sector-specific and are likely to be targeted at sectors where workers have a higher risk of injury. The subsidies that will be offered will change over time to meet business, sector and workplace needs.

What makes up an injury prevention subsidy?

Injury prevention subsidies include three elements:

  • a capped 50% contribution towards the purchase of approved training, equipment, products or programmes• improved access to information about the health and safety improvement solutions for which a subsidy is being offered
  • recognition for those businesses that take up an injury prevention subsidy.
  • The funding rate for each subsidy varies depending on business size and sector.

When you can apply?

Three rounds of subsidies are planned per year. The first round in 2019 will begin in late February. Details on how to apply will be available at that time.
Who can apply?

You can apply if you are a small to medium business (typically 6 – 99 employees) in a sector for which the specific injury prevention subsidy is relevant.
The first round of subsidies in 2019 will be available to the construction and the healthcare and social assistance sectors – both sectors have workplaces where there are high risks of injury.
Subsidies for businesses and workplaces in other sectors will be offered in the future.

Get in touch with ACC if you have any questions about the injury prevention subsidies
Email: [email protected]

 

References

ACC. (2019, January 9). Workplace injury prevention subsidies. Retrieved from https://www.acc.co.nz/for-business/workplace-health-safety/workplace-injury-prevention-subsidies/?smooth-scroll=content-after-navs

ACC. (2019, January 10). $22 million set aside to help businesses reduce workplace injury. Retrieved from https://www.acc.co.nz/about-us/news-media/latest-news/new-22-million-incentive-to-help-businesses-reduce-workplace-injury/