1 day • Face to face learning
Advanced Health and Safety Governance
Learn how to meet your obligations for health and safety in your organisation using recent case law examples.
Mike Cosman
BSc (Hons), PG Dip OSH, MInstD, CFIOSH, CertFellNZISM
Mike is a highly experienced risk and safety management specialist who has worked in this field for over 47 years as a regulator, manager, policy maker, and consultant in the UK and for over 20 years in New Zealand. He was a member of the Government Taskforce set up after the Pike River Mine disaster that helped shape the current legislative framework and of the Independent Forestry Safety Review.
Mike firmly believes that tone from the top is as important in setting the strategic direction for health and safety as for any other critical area of business risk. With the increasing focus on 'decent work' as an objective across many aspects of the workforce and the lead being shown by investors, Government, and ethical consumers in the ESG agenda, the opportunity exists to use health and safety as a showcase of an effective risk management system - as well as meeting ethical, legal, and other obligations.
He works with many public and private sector clients and has been the external advisor to numerous boards and health and safety governance committees. He Chaired the board of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management for 9 years and is currently on the health and safety governance committees of Department of Conservation, HEB Construction Ltd, PACT Packaging NZ, and Ernlsaw One Ltd. He is also the external Chair of the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee of Southern Cross Healthcare Ltd.
Mike is called upon as an expert witness in civil and criminal jurisdictions and has appeared in the District, High, Employment and Coroners Courts as well as at the ERA and EPA .
Mike is keen to ensure there is clarity and alignment around interpretation of the Due Diligence Duties on officers under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and was part of the Better Governance project funded by WorkSafe NZ and involving the IoD, Business Leaders Health and Safety Forum and HASANZ GM Safety Forum that led to the development of the current Good Governance Guide. He was also WorkSafe’s Iwi Māori Health and Safety Governance Advisor and helped develop an iwi/Māori version of the Good Governance Guide.