News Release Embargoed until 12.00 noon 26 July 2007

FROM: Mark Wagstaffe, Project Manager, NOHSAC

National Profile of Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand

New report urges change for NZ health and safety system

A report just released highlights a critical lack of occupational safety and health resources and expertise in New Zealand – and calls for a single lead agency, more and better OSH specialists and improvements to existing OSH programmes.

Commissioned by the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee (NOHSAC), the National Profile of Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand provides an overview of OSH governance and practice in New Zealand.

“The report takes a close look at our current systems as well as influencing factors, such as the substantial growth in the New Zealand economy and, in particular, increases in the number of workplaces and the number of workers, and changes in the workplace environment,” says NOHSAC Chair Professor Neil Pearce.

“It reveals that demand for service delivery has increased dramatically in the past two decades, yet overall funding for OSH services has declined. Many of the government agencies responsible are now seriously under-resourced to meet the challenges of growing and more diverse workplaces and workforces.”

The report also covers concerns expressed by key stakeholders – including OSH practitioners and representatives of government agencies, employer organisations, employee representative groups, safety organisations and other industry groups. “Their comments are insightful and deeply worrying,” says Professor Pearce. “They clearly demonstrate that the agencies currently responsible for OSH often appear to operate in ‘silos’, with a resulting inability to work effectively together in the crucial areas of research, data systems, policy development and prevention programmes. As a result, employers and workplaces are often unsure how and where to get advice to prevent diseases and injuries in the workplace.”

To address these issues, the report makes a number of recommendations.

They include:
establishing a clear lead OSH agency adequately resourced to provide leadership and co-ordination and be accountable for the overall state of OSH in New Zealand
reversing the decline in the qualified OSH workforce in government agencies
ensuring that the objectives of memoranda of understanding between government agencies are achieved
ensuring evidence-based and effective intervention and engagement programmes
aligning the audit standards of ACC programmes with the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
establishing minimum standards for OSH consultants
improving data quality and the surveillance and control of risks of exposure to occupational diseases in New Zealand
providing advice and technical help for New Zealand workplaces
ensuring government leadership for New Zealand’s OSH system.

“It’s likely that New Zealand already has all the elements of an effective OSH system – we just need work together to develop, evaluate and implement them effectively,” says Professor Pearce.

“We must ensure that we have a sustained commitment to a long-term vision, that prevention programmes are based on evidence-based best practice, and that workplaces have access to relevant and current information to help them develop robust, workable health and safety systems. Only then will we be on the path to an OSH system that works for New Zealand and New Zealanders.”

ends

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