Frequently asked questions

• Why do I need to be on the HASANZ Register?

  Being listed on the HASANZ Register is like having a warrant of fitness to practise as a workplace health and safety professional. Businesses and employers can be confident that people on the HASANZ Register have met the standard of competence required by their professional association.

• What’s the benefit of being on the HASANZ Register?

  It makes you more employable. Businesses are looking for workplace health and safety professionals with proven, relevant, knowledge and experience.

  If you are a consultant, the Register is a tool to help people find you. If you are not on the HASANZ Register, you may miss out on business.

  If you are an in-house employee, it's the pathway to promotion, winning contracts for your organisation and a better job. Increasingly, it's a prerequisite for health and safety roles.

• If I have enough clients already, why pay to be on the HASANZ Register?

  The HASANZ Register is about demonstrating your skills and experience to the market and ensuring your good standing among your professional peers. Being on the Register also helps lift professional standards across the sector and increase demand for qualified workplace health and safety advisers who meet competency standards.

• I’m already employed as a health and safety professional – why would I bother registering?

  It shows you've 'got the goods". Listing on the HASANZ Register is the bona fide way of demonstrating your value to your employer. It provides assurance that you meet stringent competency standards to practise as a health and safety adviser. You've been through a rigorous process of being reviewed by your peers. Being HASANZ registered is all about continued professional development and promoting yourself.

• What are the other benefits for in-house employees to be on the Register?

  You earn the right to use the HASANZ Registered quality mark to distinguish yourself from your peers. It means your credentials have been independently verified.

  When you become HASANZ Registered you join a professional network of qualified health and safety advisers you can call on for support.

• If I’m on the Register, can I say I’m “HASANZ Registered”?

  Yes. Health and safety professionals listed on the Register will be able to use this “HASANZ Registered” quality mark on their business card, letterhead and promotional material to show they have the qualifications and authority to provide reliable advice to businesses.

• If I am working for someone who is on the HASANZ Register, am I “HASANZ Registered” too?

  No. Each workplace health and safety professional must be registered as an individual in their own right and meet the required standard of competence to be listed.

• Can businesses use the HASANZ Registered quality mark?

  The HASANZ Registered quality mark can only be used by individual practitioners because the person, not the business, is registered. Sole practitioners who have met the required standard to be on the Register can use the HASANZ Registered quality mark in association with their business name.

Applications

• How do I apply to be on the HASANZ Register?

  You are able to apply online. However, you can only join the HASANZ Register if you belong to a professional association that is a Full Member of HASANZ. To be eligible to list on the Register you will have to meet the registration standard set by that professional association. Contact your professional association for information on their registration standard.

• What is a registration standard?

  The registration standard comprises the requirements to list on the HASANZ Register as a workplace health and safety professional. These requirements cover qualifications, experience, continuing professional development, ethics, good character and insurance. They include application requirements (which need to be met by individuals at the time of applying) and ongoing requirements (which need to be met on an ongoing basis to maintain HASANZ registration).

• How do I get to the standard required to be on the HASANZ Register?

  The registration standard is particular to each member association, recognising that the knowledge and skills of its members are distinct from those offered by other professions. Talk to your member association about the process for achieving the required standard.

• How are you ensuring consistency of standards across the different associations?

  HASANZ member associations check the competence of the individual, and HASANZ checks the systems used by the member associations to do so.

  The HASANZ Governance Group, including representatives of all of our member associations, has jointly agreed a common framework for registration standards. However, the diversity of professions means we can’t have a “one size fits all” approach to measuring competence. Within the common framework, each Full Member association has determined a set of registration standards that specifies the particular level of qualifications, experience, continuing professional development, ethics, good character and insurance that is required for an individual member of their association to list on the HASANZ Register. These are jointly reviewed and approved by the HASANZ Governance Group.

  For quality assurance, HASANZ has checked that our associations with Full Membership have suitable systems and processes in place to assess the competence of their members, manage complaints and take required disciplinary action when things go wrong.

  All of these measures together ensure a consistent approach to registration standards across member associations.

• Does HASANZ have any expectations regarding experience?

  Yes. Hands-on application of knowledge and skills in your profession or area of practice is required to meet the registration standard for your member association.

• What insurance do I need to be on the HASANZ Register?

  Consultants will need two types of insurance for their application to be accepted: professional indemnity insurance, and public liability insurance. We strongly recommend that consultants or self-employed persons have statutory liability insurance also.

  In-house health and safety advisers should be covered by their employers’ insurance – please check what is in place with them.

• Which professional associations' members are currently able to list on the HASANZ Register?

  Associations on the HASANZ Register currently are: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society of New Zealand (HFESNZ), Occupational Therapy New Zealand Whakaora - Ngangahau Aotearoa(OTNZ-WNA), New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM), New Zealand Safety Council (NZSC), Physiotherapy New Zealand (Occupational Health Group) (PNZ), New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses Association (NZOHNA) and the New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society (NZOHS).

• Which HASANZ member associations can health and safety generalists join the register through?

  The gateway to the HASANZ Register for general in-house health and safety advisers is through the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) or the New Zealand Safety Council (NZSC).

• What happens if I belong to more than one-member association?

  You should apply to be on the HASANZ Register through one association. We suggest you choose the association representing the profession that most closely matches your day to day work. It’s possible to make multiple applications if you belong to more than one HASANZ member association, but you will pay multiple application and annual registration fees and have multiple profiles on the Register.

• How long is my registration valid for?

  Your registration is valid for 12 months from the date on which your profile goes live and is visible to the public.

• Why can't I upload a photo?

  A photo can potentially be used to make decisions about whether to engage a particular professional or not. HASANZ decided not to introduce this possible bias mechanism to the HASANZ Register.

• Why can't I upload a Word or Excel file as part of my evidence?

  HASANZ undertook security penetration testing of the Register system to ensure it would be a secure system for our members and our customers to use. Malicious executable files can be embedded into Word or Excel documents and would cause the system to be vulnerable to attack. Allowing applicants to upload such files would introduce unacceptable risk.

• How do I convert a Word or Excel file into a pdf so that I can upload it?

  The easiest way is to print the document and select 'pdf' as your printer. Save the file as a pdf and then upload it to the Register system.

• What is the maximum file size for upload?

  For uploading your business logo (if you have one) the file size limit is 2MB. For uploading all other evidence documentation, the file size limit is 10MB.

• How do I deactivate my profile?

  You can voluntarily deactivate your profile for a specific period of time (for example if you are going on parental leave or overseas), or you can permanently deactivate your profile if you no longer wish to list on the HASANZ Register. Contact your member association in each case.

• My email address is changing - how do I access the HASANZ Register?

  Contact us for assistance - we can change your email access for the Register.

• I need to upload some confidential information as part of my application, is the system secure?

  Only the administrator and assessors from your member association and the HASANZ Register administrator will see your application.  As part of the process to develop the Register we contracted experts to independently undertake security penetration testing on the system to ensure it was secure.  You can also read our Privacy Policy for more information.  If you are still concerned, you can also choose to redact any confidential reports before submitting them along with your application.  

Logging in

• Why haven't I received a security code?

  The code is sent to the email address you entered into the system.  First, check that you have entered your email address correctly, then check that the email hasn't been filtered to a spam directory or junk mail folder.  You can try again by using the "Send new code" button.  If you have not received a code within five minutes, contact us.

• Why won't my security code work?

  The code is case sensitive - check that you have entered the characters exactly as they appear in the email.  Do not cut and paste the characters from the email you were sent as this may inadvertently introduce additional characters, such as a space or paragraph formatting. You can try again with a new code by using the "Send new code" button.  If your code is still not working, contact us.

Fees

• What will it cost to be on the HASANZ Register?

  There are two types of fees to be paid when you apply to list on the HASANZ Register: a one-off application fee and an annual registration fee.

  The application fee is set by each member association and may vary to reflect their administration costs, but is not expected to be more than $250 plus GST. It is non-refundable.

  The annual registration fee is $100 plus GST. The annual registration fee is refundable if your application is declined because it does not meet the registration standard. Additional processing fees of $14.75 plus GST apply to cover the cost of HASANZ providing the online payment facility.

• Why do you charge a processing fee?

  Our payment gateway provider and our bank charge us for having an online payment facility. We are passing these charges on to HASANZ Register customers.

• How much is the processing fee?

  $14.75 plus GST

• How do I pay my renewal fee?

  You will be sent a reminder one month before your fees are due. The reminder will contain a link to the payment gateway for you to be able to pay your fees.

• My renewal fees are overdue and I can't access my profile anymore. What do I do?

  Contact us for assistance.

• I don’t have a credit card to be able to use the payment gateway and pay my fees. What do I do?

  Contact us for assistance.

• I have to pay all my fees up front - what happens if you reject my application, do I get my money back?

  If your application is not approved, then we refund your $100 +GST annual registration fee.  The application fee and the processing fee are non-refundable.  For this reason, we recommend you first contact your member association about their criteria for registration (their registration standard) before you apply. 

Renewals

• Do I need to update my competencies at the time I renew my membership?

  No, it is expected that throughout the year, as you undertake CPD you will update your competencies as and when they are completed. We recommend that you avoid updating your competencies over the months of July and August to ensure a smooth and fast processing time.

• I will be travelling when my renewal date expires, can I renew before my expiry date?

  Yes, you can renew your Membership anytime within the 30 days prior to expiry.

• How long will it take to renew my profile?

  The application time for yourself should take no more than 5 minutes. Upon completing the form, you will be directed to payment express to pay the renewal fees. There will be no reviewing or approving from either the Association or the HASANZ office during this process.

• What does it cost to renew my membership?

  The cost of membership is $100+GST, inclusive of the 14.75 administration fee.

• How do I pay?

  Please log onto your HASANZ register “My Dashboard”, complete the renewal form and use the secure payment gateway button displayed at the dashboard to pay your fees.

  If you require alternative payment methods, then please contact the HASANZ team to discuss.

• If my expiry date is due for renewal with my Association, how will this affect the renewal of my HASANZ Register membership?

  You can still renew your HASANZ Register membership. However, to remain published on the HASANZ Register you must ensure your Association membership is current.

• Why don’t I need to upload my insurance?

  HASANZ has sought legal advice and have been advised that it is the responsibility of each member, each with varying practices, to determine the best type of insurance for their work.

• Will I get an invoice?

  After you have completed the payment, you will receive a receipt via email.

• Why should I renew my membership?

  If you would like to remain on the Register for public view you need to update your membership for this. Otherwise you will become unpublished, and after 30 days deactivated.

• What happens if I don’t renew my membership straight away?

  You will have 30 days, plus an additional 3 days to renew your profile before becoming unpublished. If you do not renew your membership within 30 days of being unpublished you will become deactivated.

• What is the difference between unpublished and deactivated?

  When in an unpublished state your profile can not be viewed from the Register search function. When you become deactivated, your information is at risk of being deleted and you will need to apply for a new Registration again.

• If I have a legitimate reason (e.g. hospitalisation etc) to not renew on time, what can I do?

  In this instance we urge you to get in touch with your Association and the HASANZ team. Notify us, so that we can put a note beside your profile.

• Where do I find my HASANZ Register expiry date?

  This can be found in the ‘My Dashboard’ area after logging into the HASANZ Register. Under the ‘status’ you will see how long your registration if valid for and when the expiry date is.

• What will my new HASANZ Register expiry date be?

  Your new expiry date will be 1 year after your original expiry date.

• Can I renew my HASANZ membership while making changes to my profile?

  Yes, you can. If you are currently making changes to your profile, you will still be able to renew your membership with HASANZ, however these changes will not be reviewed until after the renewal has been processed. Upon completing the renewal process, you can continue to make changes to your profile.

• If I become unpublished, what do I need to do next?

  If you are logging in within 30 days of expiry, you can still renew your membership. If you are past this date, you will need to contact HASANZ for further information.

• Can I renew my HASANZ membership earlier, before I have received my 30 days reminder email (In the instance that I will be away?)

  You will not be able to renew your HASANZ membership, until after you have received your 30 days reminder notice. This triggers your application to receive the options for renewal. If you really must renew prior to this time, please contact the HASANZ team.

For businesses

• Do businesses have to pay to use the HASANZ Register?

  No. The HASANZ Register is a free, online, publicly accessible database. We want to make it easy for businesses to find reliable, quality health and safety advice and services.

• How can businesses find workplace health and safety professionals with the skills they need?

  Businesses can search the HASANZ Register in three easy ways:

  1. Entering a key word, e.g., asbestos.
     
     
  2. Selecting one of these three categories:
     • general and specialist services (e.g., health and safety audit or health monitoring)
     • a specific injury or health issue (e.g., poisoning or depression)
     • a specific health or safety subject (e.g., bullying or fatigue).
       
       
  3. The HASANZ Register search yields a list of professionals who can provide the required skills and professional services, including a short profile for each. Business can filter these results by region, industry sector and business size. By clicking on the short profile of the people on their shortlist, users can see the long profile for each individual to check out their full credentials and compare their skills and capabilities.

  However, the Register is not a replacement for businesses undertaking their own due diligence. Businesses must still check that the person they wish to engage is right for them, as they would before engaging or hiring any new employee or consultant, for instance, by checking references and making preliminary calls to prospects to talk through their service offering. See HASANZ’s 5 Quick Questions

• How does the HASANZ Register differentiate between different kinds of health and safety professionals?

  The HASANZ Register clearly lists the areas of expertise of the professionals on it and states which HASANZ member association they belong to. You can easily see if they are a member of a professional body or an organisation whose members provide either specialist or general services.

• How do you verify that professionals on the Register are capable of doing what they claim?

  There is a robust application process that all applicants must go through. As part of the online application process every applicant’s profile and credentials are checked by the relevant HASANZ member association against records.

  Workplace health and safety professionals must meet a stringent registration standard to be listed on the HASANZ Register. Criteria cover qualifications, experience, continuing professional development, ethics, good character and insurance. They include application requirements (which need to be met by individuals at the time of applying) and ongoing requirements (which need to be met on an ongoing basis to maintain HASANZ registration).

• How does HASANZ ensure the quality and consistent standard of different listings?

  A person must meet strict criteria to be listed on the HASANZ Register. Every person on the HASANZ Register must be up to the professional standard set by the HASANZ member association they belong to. The information they submit for their profile is checked by the relevant professional association. HASANZ ensures that there is consistency across its member associations in their approach to developing their registration standards as this underpins the credibility of the Register.

  However, the HASANZ Register is not a replacement for businesses undertaking their own due diligence, in the same way they would before engaging or hiring any new employee or consultant. For instance, they should check references and make preliminary calls to prospects to talk through their service offering.