Final changes to ACC’s Accredited Employers Programme confirmed

Accredited employers will be given better insights into their performance, more support and guidance to help them improve their worker’s experience as well as injured workers being better supported by their employers.

These changes will modernise health and safety assessment requirements, removing excessive compliance and increasing flexibility for accredited employers.

A public consultation was held in October 2022 which provided valuable feedback that helped to shape the final changes agreed to by Cabinet in July 2023. Since then, ACC has been working with accredited employers and other stakeholders to develop the details of all the various changes.

The changes focus on 4 areas:

• Claims and injury management assessment: An improved assessment of the claims and injury management that also better captures workers’ experience and remove unnecessary compliance.
• Performance monitoring: A new performance monitoring model that will give accredited employers access to clear and up-to-date information on their performance, the ability to lift performance, and incentives to perform better.
• New health and safety assessments: An updated ACC health and safety audit process and a new option of ISO 45001 certification will drive higher quality health and safety systems.
• Updated pricing options: More choices under the Partnership Discount Plan, enabling employers to take on longer claims management periods, providing workers with complex injuries greater assurance and more continuity of support.

The changes will take effect from 1 April 2025, with 1 years notice, so accredited employers and ACC have time to prepare and adapt their processes and systems.

Under AEP, accredited employers take on ACC’s role to assess and manage claims for their employees' work injuries. In return for taking on the financial liability and claim management of these work injuries they receive a reduction in their annual ACC levy. The 475 business entities in the programme cover 21% of New Zealand’s workforce.