Update WorkSafe NZ's good practice guidelines for working at height
The issue
My name is Steve Tilling, and I am a working-at-height, fall protection, rope access, and rigging expert who has spent a career trying to help my colleagues and industry improve, learn and grow.
I have spent years in industry, training and investigations, and a pattern has surfaced in the realm of fall protection: presentation often outweighs performance. This imbalance poses significant risks because if a fall protection system were ever truly put to the test, its control scheme may not work with the efficacy that it needs to ensure safety. Alarmingly, because these systems are rarely tested in real-world scenarios, a dangerous perception is perpetuated. This perception, rather than concrete performance criteria, shapes Good Practice Guidelines, potentially leading to preventable incidents and injuries.
In New Zealand, WorkSafe NZ's Good Practice Guidelines serve as the cornerstone for industry standards and practices. However, there is a pressing need to revise these guidelines to ensure they are grounded in rigorous performance metrics rather than aesthetics or theoretical assumptions. The current approach can put workers’ lives at risk by allowing inadequate systems to pass muster simply because they appear sound on paper.
Through unified and concentrated efforts, I aim to be a voice advocating for these crucial updates. It is essential that we empower those in the industry to focus on what truly matters – the effectiveness of safety measures. By doing so, we can eliminate redundant efforts and concentrate resources on making performance-driven adjustments to these guidelines.
The ramifications of outdated or ineffective guidelines can be dire—leading to confusion, mismatched expectations and preventable accidents or even fatalities. We should not wait for catastrophic failures to test the systems before we take action. We know what the performance requirements are.
To achieve this, I propose working closely with WorkSafe and limiting the voices that need to be consulted and collaborated with by asking for your approval to represent your voice in this discussion. With a coalition of support and a discussion based on performance and law, we can help WorkSafe identify the real issues, constraints and concessions that happen with height work and guide what reasonably practicable and performant solutions look like in a format accessible to all participants.
Such an approach ensures that real-world experiences are taken into account, misunderstandings are cleared up and explained, leading to more effective and comprehensive guidelines.
Join me in advocating for a safer work environment by urging WorkSafe NZ to update its Good Practice Guidelines for Working at Height. Sign this petition to lend me your voice, to advocate for safer and clearer practices.
Together, we can effect change that ensures every worker returns home safely at the end of the day.
Please add your signature to this petition and help us make work safer for everyone.
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The issue
My name is Steve Tilling, and I am a working-at-height, fall protection, rope access, and rigging expert who has spent a career trying to help my colleagues and industry improve, learn and grow.
I have spent years in industry, training and investigations, and a pattern has surfaced in the realm of fall protection: presentation often outweighs performance. This imbalance poses significant risks because if a fall protection system were ever truly put to the test, its control scheme may not work with the efficacy that it needs to ensure safety. Alarmingly, because these systems are rarely tested in real-world scenarios, a dangerous perception is perpetuated. This perception, rather than concrete performance criteria, shapes Good Practice Guidelines, potentially leading to preventable incidents and injuries.
In New Zealand, WorkSafe NZ's Good Practice Guidelines serve as the cornerstone for industry standards and practices. However, there is a pressing need to revise these guidelines to ensure they are grounded in rigorous performance metrics rather than aesthetics or theoretical assumptions. The current approach can put workers’ lives at risk by allowing inadequate systems to pass muster simply because they appear sound on paper.
Through unified and concentrated efforts, I aim to be a voice advocating for these crucial updates. It is essential that we empower those in the industry to focus on what truly matters – the effectiveness of safety measures. By doing so, we can eliminate redundant efforts and concentrate resources on making performance-driven adjustments to these guidelines.
The ramifications of outdated or ineffective guidelines can be dire—leading to confusion, mismatched expectations and preventable accidents or even fatalities. We should not wait for catastrophic failures to test the systems before we take action. We know what the performance requirements are.
To achieve this, I propose working closely with WorkSafe and limiting the voices that need to be consulted and collaborated with by asking for your approval to represent your voice in this discussion. With a coalition of support and a discussion based on performance and law, we can help WorkSafe identify the real issues, constraints and concessions that happen with height work and guide what reasonably practicable and performant solutions look like in a format accessible to all participants.
Such an approach ensures that real-world experiences are taken into account, misunderstandings are cleared up and explained, leading to more effective and comprehensive guidelines.
Join me in advocating for a safer work environment by urging WorkSafe NZ to update its Good Practice Guidelines for Working at Height. Sign this petition to lend me your voice, to advocate for safer and clearer practices.
Together, we can effect change that ensures every worker returns home safely at the end of the day.
Please add your signature to this petition and help us make work safer for everyone.
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Petition created on 22 September 2026