Puataunofo Manukau Pilot Project
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Executive Summary
E pala le ma'a, 'ae le pala le tala
Stones decay, but words last (Samoan)
1 The Puataunofo Manukau Project is a strategic collaborative pilot project that brought together a broad range of agencies and partners to promote and raise awareness of health and safety issues for Pacific workers and Pacific youth in workplaces and communities of Manukau.
2 Puataunofo Manukau Project's vision of 'Health and Safety for Pasefika Workers in Manukau' focused on Pacific peoples working in the manufacturing industry and the increasing numbers of Pacific youth entering the workforce.
3 Case studies and research indicate that Pacific workers and youth are vulnerable in workplaces and statistics show that there continues to be a slight deterioration since the 2006 Report for Work-Place Injury Claims [Ministry of Social Development].
4 The Puataunofo Manukau Project aimed to develop partnerships with both employers and their Pacific employees to participate in a programme that would improve workplace safety.
5 The project demonstrated that a well planned programme could effectively address Pacific people's workplace injury issues which were seen as a key barrier to improving productivity.
6 The objectives of Puataunofo Manukau were to:
- Improve awareness of workplace health and safety for Pacific workers and young people
- Inform and support both employers and employees in their roles and responsibilities in injury prevention
- Develop a communications strategy to effectively promote health and safety messages to the Pacific community in Manukau
- Establish a programme in collaboration with other agencies and employers that will improve the workplace health and safety of Pacific workers
7 The Puataunofo Manukau Project team developed, coordinated and worked through an action plan that contained significant initiatives contributing to achieving the objectives of the project. The activities included:
- Delivering health and safety workshops at worksites
- Developing and delivering communications and marketing initiatives
- Pacific radio media campaign
- Sponsoring a Pacific health and safety breakfast
- Supporting the Passport to Safety (P2S) programme
8 Significant outcomes of the project:
- Workshops were well received and supported by the four companies involved
- At the conclusion of the workshops the Department of Labour (DoL) was invited by participating companies to conduct site and compliance assessments
- The project generated a high level of interest in Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) levy discounts
- Workers who participated in the project workshops indicated that further workshops would be both necessary and beneficial to improve understanding and provide reinforcement to the principles taught
- The project had very good support from Pacific workers, employers, community leaders and their networks
- Relationships between agencies, unions and employers have improved with organisations working towards a common goal of increased safety for employees
- Work is continuing with the promotion and coordination of Passport to Safety programme with targeted schools
- The media coverage of the Puataunofo Manukau Project activities was constructive and reflected the project in a positive manner
Limitations of the Status Report
The Puataunofo Manukau Project Team acknowledges this status report is not a comprehensive evaluation of the effectiveness of the pilot project. However, the report can provide information which will inform the development of an evaluation framework to assess the long term effectiveness of the project.
Specific issues for an evaluation may include the gathering of statistical information from the work sites before, during and after the workshops. Other issues to be evaluated will be the impact of the media campaign, the ability of the project to create awareness of health and safety issues within the Pacific community and what other lessons can be learned from the project.
