Practical answers to common H&S questions

It gives your business a practical structure for managing risks, incidents, emergency planning, training, contractors, inspections and other everyday health and safety requirements. A manual is not a magic compliance certificate — it needs to be reviewed, used and kept current for the work your business actually does.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 places health and safety duties on PCBUs, including most companies, sole traders and self-employed people. The Act does not simply say that every business must buy or hold a particular written manual. In practice, written policies, procedures and records are often the easiest way to show how risks are being managed, and clients or prequalification schemes may require documented evidence.

WorkSafe can take enforcement action and offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act can lead to significant penalties. The issue is failure to meet health and safety duties — not simply whether you own an eSafety manual. A good system helps you organise the policies, procedures and records needed to manage those duties properly.

Yes. A sole trader or self-employed person can be a PCBU under the Health and Safety at Work Act. You must manage risks from your work so far as is reasonably practicable, including risks to yourself and other people who may be affected. Many principal contractors and clients also require sole traders to provide health and safety documentation before starting work.

No. eSafety NZ Limited is an independent New Zealand business. Government agencies do not endorse private health and safety providers simply because they sell policies or systems.

Our Health & Safety and ISO systems are designed around the New Zealand health and safety framework and relevant management-system requirements. No provider can honestly guarantee that buying a document automatically makes a business compliant. Compliance depends on the work you do, the risks involved, and whether the system is properly reviewed, implemented and maintained.

The Health and Safety at Work Amendment Act 2026 has been passed, but the main changes are scheduled to take effect on 1 April 2027. Until then, the current Health and Safety at Work Act duties continue to apply. eSafety reviews its systems as legal requirements change. This FAQ was reviewed in September 2026.

eSafety H&S packages currently start at $640 including GST for Lite. Standard is $940 including GST and Premium is $1,240 including GST. Extra business modules and optional add-ons can change the final price, so the order builder shows the total before you submit.

You receive the manual for the package you choose, the relevant forms for each included section in Word format, and risk-register content based on the work and risk modules selected for your business. You can use the Word forms directly or use the eSafety App for day-to-day forms and records.

No. The manuals and the eSafety App can be used independently. Every manual order includes the relevant Word forms. The App is an optional way to manage forms, workers, inspections, JSAs, incidents, training, contractors and other H&S records online.

Yes. The eSafety App is available as a standalone online H&S management system. Businesses that already have a suitable policy can use the App for day-to-day safety forms and records without buying another manual.

No provider can guarantee another organisation's score or approval. Our Standard, Premium and ISO systems are designed to support the sort of documented evidence commonly requested by prequalification systems, but the final result depends on your business, your evidence, how the system is implemented, and the rules of the organisation doing the assessment.

Choose the closest business module and complete the order, then contact us. We can review the work your business actually does and customise the risk content where required rather than forcing you into a category that does not fit.

Yes. Premium is the more comprehensive H&S manual for larger or more complex businesses. If you need a formal management system, ISO 45001 or the Combined ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 package may be more appropriate.

ISO 45001 focuses on occupational health and safety management. The Combined package includes everything in the ISO 45001 package plus ISO 14001 environmental management and ISO 9001 quality management content in one integrated system.

Yes. Consultancy, implementation support, training, audit preparation and site visits are available separately. Additional charges may apply depending on what you need and where you are located.

Once payment has been received, policy and manual orders are normally emailed within three business days, and are often completed sooner. Your order confirmation should arrive shortly after submission; check your junk or spam folder if it does not appear.

Yes. Prices shown on the public eSafety website are NZD and include 15% GST unless a page clearly says otherwise. The order summary also shows the GST component.

Yes. eSafety NZ Limited is based in Tauranga and works with businesses throughout New Zealand.