Certified handler (NZ)
A Certified Handler is a person certified under the HSW (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 (reg 6.4–6.9) to manage specific classes of hazardous substances. Certification is class-specific and time-limited and is the NZ analogue of AU dangerous-goods licensing.
Legal context
Certified Handler requirements are set out in Part 6 of the HSW (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017. Substances that trigger a certified-handler requirement include certain explosives, acute toxics, flammable gases under pressure, and other classes specified in Schedule 8. A Certified Handler must hold a current certification specific to the substance class, the workplace must hold a register of substances and handlers, and certification is renewed periodically by a compliance certifier. RAE IQ's NZ hazardous-substances module tracks substances, certified handlers, expiry and renewal alerts in a single register, separate from the AU chemical register.
Where this shows up in RAE IQ
Related terms
HSWA
HSWA 2015 — the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 — is the primary New Zealand WHS statute, in force since 4 April 2016. It replaced the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 and introduced the PCBU framework largely parallel to the Australian model WHS regime, with WorkSafe NZ as the regulator.
ACOP
An Approved Code of Practice is a code approved by the responsible Minister under HSWA s222 and providing practical guidance on how to comply with the Act and Regulations. ACOPs are not strictly binding but a court may take compliance (or non-compliance) into account when deciding whether a duty has been met.
Platform pillars
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47 WHS and HSWA terms with legal context, FAQs and regulator references.