General Business · Employer knowledge

Training, instruction & capability

Give people the information, training, instruction or supervision needed for the work they actually do, then check practical capability where the task, equipment or risk warrants it. Course completion alone is not proof of competence.

What does New Zealand law require?

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, a PCBU's primary duty includes providing the information, training, instruction or supervision necessary to protect people from risks arising from work carried out as part of the business.

The Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 require a PCBU to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers either have adequate knowledge and experience to do work safely or are adequately supervised by a person with that knowledge and experience. Regulation 9 also requires adequate training in the safe use of plant, objects, substances and personal protective equipment that workers are or may be required to use or handle.

Information, training and instruction must be suitable and adequate, having regard to the nature of the work, the risks and the controls, and must be readily understandable by the person receiving it.

Manager focus

Role inductionExplain the workplace, role, key procedures, reporting routes, emergency arrangements and the risks relevant to the person's actual work.

Task instructionProvide suitable instruction before a worker carries out unfamiliar work or uses plant, equipment, substances or PPE they need for the role.

SupervisionWhere a worker does not yet have adequate knowledge and experience, provide adequate supervision rather than treating a completed induction as permission to work unsupervised.

Practical capabilityFor higher-risk or skill-dependent tasks, check that the worker can apply the procedure safely in practice. A quiz, attendance sheet or course certificate records learning; it does not automatically establish practical competence.

Manager check

Have we identified what each role needs to know rather than assigning the same training to everyone?
Is training matched to the actual work, risks, controls, equipment, substances and PPE?
Can workers readily understand the information and instruction provided?
Are new or inexperienced workers adequately supervised until they have sufficient knowledge and experience?
Where practical competence matters, do we observe or otherwise verify safe performance rather than relying only on course completion?
Do we reassess learning needs after incidents, changes in work, new equipment, new substances or evidence that controls are not being followed?
Are licences, certificates or formal qualifications checked where another law or the particular work requires them?
Can we show what training, instruction, supervision or competency checking was provided, to whom, and when?

Training records are evidence — not the whole system

A training matrix can help an employer see what has been assigned, completed, verified or is due for review. It should support the management of real capability rather than becoming a compliance exercise by itself.

HSWA does not impose one universal expiry date for all workplace training. Refresher timing should come from the applicable law, certificate or licence conditions, manufacturer instructions, the business's risk assessment, changes in work, performance evidence and any relevant regulator guidance.

Likewise, there is no single statutory retention period that applies to every general workplace training record. Keep records for the period required by any applicable specific law and for as long as they remain necessary and useful evidence of how the business manages worker capability.

Standards and formal systems

AS/NZS ISO 45001 can be used voluntarily to structure an occupational health and safety management system, including competence and awareness processes. It is not a general legal requirement for NZ businesses and using it does not by itself prove HSWA compliance.

Where a role is subject to a regulated licence, practising certificate, endorsement or other prescribed competency requirement, that specific requirement takes priority over a generic NZQC training pathway.

General Risk Regulations →WorkSafe workplace guidance →Back to General Business Hub

NZQC provides practical educational information. It is not legal advice and does not certify that a provider is compliant. Check the official source and the requirements that apply to your service, contracts and scope.