The Government’s plan to cut red tape in New Zealand’s health and safety system is being cautiously welcomed
by the civil construction sector — but the proposed “road cone hotline” has sparked serious concern.
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard says the broader reforms are well-intentioned and follow a “quality” consultation process.
However, the proposal to introduce a public hotline to report road cone overuse risks endangering workers and stoking unnecessary conflict.
“We know workers are already the target of public abuse. We also know from previous experience that these types of initiatives, which pit the public against road workers, cause increases in public aggression and increase hostility,” Pollard says.
“Public abuse is the single biggest risk to road workers across several regions of New Zealand, and I am not confident a road cone hotline will do anything more than increase aggression and risk to road workers, at public cost.”
Pollard says protecting people working in high-risk environments — including roadside construction zones, trenches, and utilities — must remain a top priority.
While critical of the hotline, he endorsed the Government’s shift toward a risk-based approach for temporary traffic management, calling it a more appropriate balance between safety and efficiency.
“Traffic management requirements have become more prescriptive every decade, and the risk-based approach is a step in the right direction to make sure any controls put in place – including cones – are applied correctly for the site they are set up to support,” he says.
“However, managing traffic around road work sites is complex work. It’s not just road cones, it’s planning, road closures, site layouts, site setup and dialogue between clients, designers and contractors. There are often dire consequences if it goes wrong.”
Pollard says industry-led changes — such as full or partial road closures for overnight maintenance — were already helping to improve safety and efficiency.
More broadly, he welcomed the Government’s intent to refocus the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 on critical risk rather than box-ticking.
“We have seen genuine, personal contact from the Minister throughout the consultation process, which has been refreshing and engaging for our members,” he says.
“Refocusing the system toward managing critical risk and away from tick-box compliance for the sake of it are positive things. Any time getting those things right will be well spent.”
