Good morning Peter!

A few examples come to mind. Managing psychosocial risks is quickly shifting from fringe to foundational, especially with ISO 45003 setting the tone globally. Likewise, critical risk management, once a high-hazard industry focus, is now becoming expected across all sectors. We're also seeing predictive analytics—previously cutting edge—being used more widely to anticipate incidents. And the principles of Human and Organisational Performance (HOP), which challenge traditional blame-focused models, are increasingly shaping how organisations learn and improve after events. All of these were once seen as innovative but are rapidly becoming expected practice.

A cutting-edge health and safety practice in New Zealand that’s rapidly gaining ground—particularly in high-hazard sectors like mining, tunneling, and energy—is the use of remote and automated systems such as drones, robotics, and tele-operated equipment. These technologies allow hazardous tasks (e.g. inspections, confined space entry, live-line work) to be carried out without exposing workers to direct risk. What was once experimental is now proving to be safer, faster, and more efficient.

For example, Genesis Energy now uses submersible drones to inspect flooded hydro tunnels, eliminating the need to send staff into confined spaces. Similarly, MainPower has adopted aerial drones for power line inspections, reducing working-at-height exposure. These examples show how engineered solutions are being used to isolate or eliminate risks entirely—sitting at the top of the hierarchy of controls and aligning with WorkSafe NZ's expectation that businesses adopt the highest reasonably practicable level of protection.

As Dave Bellett notes, once safer alternatives are available and proven, they quickly shift from innovation to expected practice. The regulatory push, combined with strong industry uptake and visible safety improvements, means that using remote systems to protect workers is set to become a standard expectation across New Zealand’s high-risk industries in the near future.