Being in an unsafe working environment can make your job increasingly difficult. Employers must provide a safe workplace, with proper training, supervision and equipment. This duty includes identifying, assessing and managing hazards in the workplace, and investigating health and safety incidents in the workplace.
Employees must take reasonable care to keep themselves safe and to avoid causing harm to other people by the way they do their work.
Employees may refuse work likely to cause them serious harm and employees have the right to participate in improving health and safety.
If you feel that you are working in an unsafe environment you should raise the issue with your employer. Wherever possible, you should raise the issue in writing, via email, and ask for a response. If your employer is unwilling to discuss or resolve the issue – contact us, our company can assist you in dealing with your concerns.
Please provide a timeline of events, and any evidence of you making your employer aware of the situation.
Bullying and harassment is also a health and safety issue. See our page on bullying here: Bullying In The NZ Workplace.
Can you be fired for refusing to work in unsafe conditions?
Read our reviews:
Thanks to Hilary for a great outcome.
I reached out to Hilary at Work Law after looking for an ELINZ registered advocate and she exceeded every expectation. She got in touch quickly, immediately understood the value of my case, and clearly explained what I needed to provide.
Hilary put in countless hours reviewing my documents and preparing a personal grievance claim. Her communication was consistent, honest, and down‑to‑earth.
Thanks to Hilary’s expertise and hard work, I had a great outcome, my family and I are so grateful!
Hilary was strategic, clear and logical in her approach.
Hilary handled my case with great care and professionalism, especially during a very stressful moment in my life. Throughout the process, she was very strategic, clear and logical in her approach, which gave me a lot of confidence.
I am grateful for her support and would highly recommend her services to anyone looking for trustworthy, high level representation.
I recommend Hilary.
Since the beginning, Hilary was kind and professional with communications, always clear and happy to clarify any doubts. She guided me through the process explaining expectations and timelines with excellent skills for negotiation. I am very grateful for her services and the outcome and really recommend her.
Theo was an excellent, kind and responsive advocate.
I was being bullied by a powerful and vile local public figure. It mattered to me that my advocate shared my values. Theo had very sharp and quick answers to my questions in the first phone conversation, and helped me navigate the fine line between a satisfactory defense of my professional reputation and a moral victory. It isn’t always possible to get both, but Theo had a good idea about where i stood each step of the way and helped me make sure that my outcome preserved my professional reputation while also sending a clear moral message to my employers, who would have just as soon thrown me under the nearest bus. They will think twice before they consider allowing a bully to run roughshod over their employees again.
Don’t resign or quit before you speak to an employment law expert.
If something feels wrong at work – don’t resign or quit before you talk to someone who really knows employment law. Hilary at Work Law is amazing. She listened, she fought hard, and she helped me get through one of the toughest times of my life. I’m so grateful I called her before giving up. Highly recommend!
CONTACT US FOR A FREE CASE EVALUATION
You can trust us to listen
Statistics prove that legal representation for employees by an employment lawyer or employment law advocate improves your chance of a successful outcome.
You have nothing to lose by having a free consultation with an Employment Law Advocate.
You can email us using the form below. When you receive the automated reply to your email please reply and attach any correspondence you have received from your employer.