Why You Need a Compliance Certifier?
1. Legal Requirement Under NZ Law
The Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017 mandate that businesses handling hazardous substances must obtain compliance certificates. These certificates confirm that your site, equipment, and personnel meet the necessary safety standards. Depending on the substances and quantities involved, you may require certificates for:
- Locations (e.g., storage areas)
- People (e.g., certified handlers)
- Equipment (e.g., stationary container systems)
2. Independent Safety Verification
Compliance certifiers are independent professionals authorized by WorkSafe to assess and verify that your business complies with hazardous substances regulations. They ensure that risks are properly managed and that safety controls are effectively implemented. This independent verification provides assurance that your workplace meets national safety standards
3. Avoiding Penalties and Operational Disruptions
Operating without the required compliance certificates can lead to legal penalties, enforcement actions, and potential shutdowns. Engaging a compliance certifier helps you stay compliant, thereby avoiding fines and ensuring uninterrupted business operations.
4. Expert Guidance on Safety Improvements
Compliance certifiers do more than just issue certificates; they provide valuable insights into improving your safety practices. They can advise on proper storage, handling procedures, emergency response plans, and staff training, helping you enhance overall workplace safety
5. Tailored Certification for Your Specific Needs
Depending on your operations, you may need different types of compliance certificates. For instance, if you store flammable substances like petrol or LPG above certain thresholds, a location compliance certificate is required. Compliance certifiers assess your specific situation and provide the appropriate certification
How Assure Safety Can Help
Assure Safety specializes in assisting businesses across New Zealand with hazardous substances compliance. Our services include:
- Site Assessments: Evaluating your premises to identify compliance requirements.
- Certification Assistance: Guiding you through the process of obtaining necessary compliance certificates.
- Safety Training: Providing training for staff on handling hazardous substances safely.
- Ongoing Support: Offering continuous support to ensure ongoing compliance and safety.
By partnering with Assure Safety, you ensure that your business not only meets legal requirements but also maintains a safe and efficient working environment.
When you need a Chartered Engineer who is also a WorkSafe Authorised Compliance Certifier
You need this combined expertise when your compliance outcome depends on how your site operates, what quantities are present, and whether your controls and equipment are technically fit for purpose. This is especially valuable when you’re dealing with:
- Stationary tanks, process tanks, and pipework (including older or modified systems)
- Flammable and toxic substances such as fumigants, VTAs, and industrial chemicals (e.g., chlorine)
- Workrooms vs storage rooms where “use” and “storage” overlap
- Complex sites with multiple rooms, thresholds, fire separations, ventilation, and containment requirements
- Audit findings or certification delays where you need a clear, defensible path forward
- Non-standard constraints (limited separation distances, missing FRR evidence, practical containment limitations) that require risk-based engineering solutions
How we help
We bring certification and engineering together so your project moves faster and your compliance position is stronger.
1) Clarify your obligations
We confirm classifications, SDSs, package sizes, and maximum quantities — and identify which certificates and regulatory controls apply.
2) Engineer the evidence
Our Chartered chemical and mechanical engineers assess your tanks, process equipment, and pipework for compliance and safety performance, and provide the technical documentation certifiers and regulators expect.
3) Provide practical solutions
We don’t just tell you what’s wrong — we give you a clear way forward, with prioritised actions that are realistic for your business.
4) Prepare you for certification — and issue a statement where required
We help get your site “certification-ready” and can complete certification, reducing rework, delays, and back-and-forth.