In October 2024, Fire and Emergency participated in an annual audit of our ACC Accredited Employer Programme (AEP). We are a self-managing accredited employer which means we self-manage all ACC work related injury claims via our Injury Management Unit. The audit covers two sections: health and safety systems and injury management practices. 

We are pleased to share that we have achieved a tertiary accreditation – which is the highest level. Achieving tertiary is the highest rating possible and is a continuation from our previous year's result. 

This positive result is a continuation from last year and is a reflection of the mahi (work) underway to consistently apply safety, health and wellbeing, and injury management, effectively across the motu (country). It’s not all about audit criteria though, providing a safer and health workplace for everyone is the ultimate goal.  

How is the audit conducted?  

Each year ACC selects a primary and secondary site to observe our safety, health and wellbeing, and injury management system and associated processes in practice. ACC selected Timaru Fire Station and the Southern Communication Centre as the audit sites for the 2024 audit.  

An independent auditor spent two days at National Headquarters, followed by a day at Timaru Fire Station and a day at the Southern Communication Centre. The audit involved presenting evidence to the auditor of our systems and processes, manager and employee focus groups to further verify our systems, and case study interviews for ACC work related claims to verify the Injury Management practices.  

Next steps 

The Safety, Health and Wellbeing directorate will work with stakeholders across the organisation, to embed the identified recommendations as part of continuous improvement.  

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