What is a code of practice?

A set of guidelines and reccomendations for health and safety agreed to by relevant parties. Approved codes of practice are legal documents under the Health and Safety in Employment Act.

Codes of practice set the industry standard for the best procedures to protect health and safety. Workers, Unions and employers should all be involved in developing the code.

A code that is approved by the Minister of Labour becomes an Approved Code of Practice under section 20 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act. The code can then be used by the courts to test whether an employer is complying with the act. Approved Codes of Practice are produced by Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), and can be viewed on their website. click here