General Publications
Department of Labour Annual Report 2006
Vote Labour
Output class: Services to promote and support safe and healthy people and workplaces
Description
This output class contributes to the Department’s medium-term goals of:
- Occupational injuries and disease are reduced by providing information about obligations and good practice, leading sector and government initiatives, and undertaking activities aimed at improving the levels of health and safety practice in the workplace
- Increased awareness and uptake of excellent workplace practices through activities aimed at influencing societal attitudes on the benefits of good workplace health and safety practice, and carrying out assessment and problem resolution activities
- Responsive labour market regulation supports economic and social development by providing information and advice on legislation and the application of best practice health and safety.
The Department targets specific hazards and issues, industry sectors, and occupational activities and processes associated with the highest rates of illness or injury, or that have a potential for catastrophic failure. Its interventions are aimed at bringing about significant medium to long-term improvements.
Activities
Activities carried out included:
- influencing societal attitudes on the benefits of good workplace health and safety practice
- raising awareness of workplace participants’ rights and obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
- leading the development of national workplace health and safety initiatives across Government and industry sectors and working with industry sector organisations and other agencies to develop and promote workplace health and safety
- providing information and advice to help individuals, workplaces, and industry sectors understand the legislation and apply best practice health and safety
- assessing workplace health and safety performance, and responding to notifications, complaints, incidents and fatalities
- identifying breaches and taking appropriate compliance or enforcement action to reduce deliberate or serious breaches of the Health and Safety in Employment Act minimum standards.
Performance information
Results measures
Performance standard
Performance to 30 June 2006
Percentage of workplaces improving workplace practices following a Departmental intervention. New measure.
The 2006 Workplace Group Customer Feedback Survey showed the following:
Workplace Contact Centre: 38% of 215 clients surveyed reported a change or intended change in their workplace practices as a result of information provision. However, 73% of 215 clients surveyed indicated their existing knowledge of good or required workplace practices was confirmed. The margin of error for these results is ±6.7%.
Workplace Services: 97% of employers surveyed indicated that contact with the health and safety service either confirmed existing workplace practices or resulted in an intention to change workplace practice. This has a margin of error of approximately ±6.5%.
Percentage of customers satisfied with the Department’s services, information and tools. New measure.
The 2006 Workplace Group Customer Feedback Survey showed the following:
Workplace Contact Centre: Overall client satisfaction was 79%, and overall satisfaction with the information provided was 97%, for the 215 customers surveyed. The margin of error for these results is ±6.7%.
Workplace Services: Overall satisfaction with services provided by the health and safety services was 84%. This has a margin of error of ±6.5%.
The percentage of workplaces in targeted areas that have a system for employee participation at the time of the first visit of a workplace compliance assessment. New measure.
This measure cannot be reported on due to a phased transition to a new information system called Workinfo. This information was not captured in 2005/06.
Percentage of forums, presentations, seminars, consultations and workplace information visits and compliance assessments that target priority areas. Standard: 90%.
92% of the workplace visits undertaken by the Department were to identified priority areas.
However, the Department cannot report the percentage of forums, presentations and consultations that targeted priorities areas because staff entered details during the transition to the new information system in different ways, preventing either a count or a reasonable estimate.
Activity information
Number of investigations opened in response to approximately 11,000 – 14,000 health and safety complaints, incidents, serious harm notifications and fatalities. Estimate: 5,500 to 7,500.
This year, the Department opened 3,652 investigations in response to 9,874 health and safety complaints, incidents, serious harm notifications and fatalities.
This figure is under-reported due to the phased transition to a new information system.
Most of the matters received during the year were serious harm notifications including fatalities (62%). The balance was mainly complaints (28%).
In total, just over half the health and safety complaints, incidents and serious harm notifications were responded to by investigation (54%). Investigations were opened for 37% of serious harm matters. Most complaints (95%) were investigated.
Number of forums and presentations given to workplace participants. Estimate: 750.
This indicator cannot be measured for 2005/06 as staff entered details during the transition to the new information system in different ways, preventing either a count or a reasonable estimate.
Number of workplace visits to inform, advise, promote, survey and assess. Estimate: 16,000 to 18,000.
This year, the Department completed 1,031 workplace information visits and 4,686 workplace assessments.
The new information system does not yet fully distinguish separate visits to the same workplace, resulting in an undercount.
General Publications
Department of Labour Annual Report 2006
The increase in appropriation of $0.342 million in the Supplementary Estimates was due to funding to implement the Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015.
Offset by:
- a final amount of an expenditure transfer from 2004/05 for the Workplace Support Contact Centre expenditure and expenditure transfers to the 2006/07 financial year for:
- training and induction of Workplace Primary Contact Centre staff
- funding for Occupational Health Leadership for continued development of guidelines for workplaces about the use of alcohol and drugs by workplace participants and for continued improvement of the Notifiable Occupational Disease System
- completion of the reorganisation of the Workplace Group service delivery project
- savings due to the EnergySafe programme – enactment of the Energy Safety Bill not occurring before 30 June 2005
- a fiscally neutral transfer reduction of the allocation of corporate costs.
The $0.153 million actual deficit in Revenue over Expenditure is due to lower than expected Revenue Department and Revenue Other offset by lower than expected expenditure primarily due to delays in filling Professional and Specialist Services Group vacancies during their restructuring period.