About the ACC Partnership Programme
The ACC Partnership Programme offers significant levy discounts to employers who take responsibility for their own workplace health and safety and the management of workplace injuries.
Under the ACC Partnership Programme, the employer takes over responsibility for employees’ work injury claims. This includes the delivery of all statutory entitlements, such as weekly compensation for lost earnings.
Employers must meet stringent criteria to enter, and maintain participation in, the ACC Partnership Programme. Generally, the programme is more suited to larger employers (defined as those who pay more than $100,000 in annual ACC levies).1
1. Source: www.acc.govt.nz
Click through to the ACC website to use their levy calculator. Alternatively, call Care Advantage for an estimate of levies – 0508 333 999.
Why do employers choose to be part of the ACC Partnership Programme?
Becoming an accredited employer under the ACC Partnership Programme appeals to employers who want to take more responsibility for managing their own workplace health and safety standards and the management of workplace injuries.
Accredited employers have the ability to:
- Intervene as early as possible
- Participate in rehabilitation planning to achieve earlier return-to-work outcomes
- Assist employees beyond the legislative requirements
- Improve productivity by achieving earlier return-to-work outcomes.
This means employees will benefit from receiving timely, proactive and appropriate rehabilitation to minimise the effect of their injury.
To be accepted into the ACC Partnership Programme your business must:
- Demonstrate long-term financial stability and the ability to meet the cost of work-related injuries.
- Have active workplace safety systems and processes in place.
- Have active injury management procedures in place, including claims administration and rehabilitation support.
- Demonstrate the involvement of employees and their representatives in workplace safety.
- Meet the ACC Partnership Programme audit standards for workplace safety and injury management and be able to demonstrate a commitment to injury prevention.
Levels of achievement
The ACC Partnership Programme audit standards refer to three levels that an employer can achieve within the programme. These levels are:
- Primary – the basic level of achievement required for programme entry
- Secondary – further consolidation of good health and safety practices in the workplace
- Tertiary – a well-established, continuous improvement framework.
The tertiary level can only be achieved when an employer has a clear history of established systems and processes which function actively in the workplace. As a guide, most of the components should have been functioning successfully over no less than a 12-month period.