Puataunofo Manukau Pilot Project

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Responses from the Health and Safety Workshops

Ka ai ha 'ofa pea fai ki 'Uluenga

If there is to be kindness (contribution), leave it till Uluenga (Tongan)

'Uluenga is the old lunar calendar month covering part September-October, i.e. after the main yam harvest (April-August) and before the early yam harvest (November-December) i.e. if food is scarce! Hence, the time for help is when a real need exists

Employers' Responses

Employers were surveyed at the end of the workshop by completing a self evaluation form. See Appendix 13.

Participation

The four companies involved in the workshops were initially hesitant to participate. However, once relationships were established and the key objectives of the project fully explained, the invitation to be a part of the project was accepted with work safety awareness being a key objective.

Employers saw the workshops as an additional resource to promote their own organisations health and safety message. The workshops stressed work safety was an employee responsibility, not just the employer's responsibility and duty.

Pacific 'In-House' Issues

Employers, prior to workshops starting, shared with the facilitator some Pacific 'in-house' issues including cultural practices, fa'alavelave, matai obligations, village concepts etc, which sometimes affected the development of good health and safety environment. The workshops were flexible enough in time, language and style to allow for ways to discuss and resolve these types of concerns. See Appendix 12.

Overall, employers found the workshop worthwhile as it improved the awareness of work safety issues and appreciated the increased positive attitudes of the attendees towards health and safety messages and practices in the workplace.

Other Outcomes

The companies that participated in the project asked for steps to be put in place to enhance health and safety in their workplaces. After each workshop, APN Print, Heller Tasty and AMCOR Kiwi Packaging approached the Department of Labour to carry out full compliance assessments of their sites. Big Tuff Pallets reported an increase in health and safety awareness for both employees and employer. Assessments were carried out with employers advising the best time and date to undertake site assessments. The improved relationships from the project allowed companies to approach the Department of Labour for assistance with other concerns. One organisation recently reported some health and safety incidents which then resulted in a full investigation and a site compliance assessment. The Department of Labour also invited companies to ongoing seminars in order to receive specialist support and training. See Appendix 14.

Employee Responses

Interviews

Informal interviews and evaluation survey forms were used to gather responses from attendees at the workshop. Some emerging themes from the participant feedback provided a broad view of work and safety issues from the perspectives of Pacific workers. It also raised the need for ongoing site workshops. See Appendix 13.

Work Histories

The majority of the respondents had been employed in their workplaces for up to 10 years however two employees within one of the organisations had worked there for 18 and 29 years respectively.

The Need For Puataunofo

There was general consensus from the respondents that the health and safety messages promoted within the Puataunofo project were important with most of the attendees stating this was their first exposure to health and safety messages and practices within the workplace. For the few that had previously attended other workshops, Puataunofo was considered unique in its style and format with visual learning being a major component of the programme.

Increase Accessibility and Availability

Most participants requested an increase in the availability of and accessibility to Puataunofo. Participants suggested that the programme be conducted at various times throughout the day to cater for the needs of 'shift workers' and that there was a need for advertising and promotion of the programme within the organisation to improve staff attendance. Participants also acknowledged that internal communications and appropriate processes between management and staff are necessary.

Increased Knowledge is an Outcome

Participants generally noted that their knowledge and awareness of health and safety issues within the workplace increased following the workshop. Some also indicated that understanding of government organisations, such as the Department of Labour and ACC had improved.

Feedback indicated that the enhancement of safety messages and education on safe practice within the workshop was particularly useful for workers engaging in unsafe practices despite being aware of workplace health and safety risks.

Action and Attitudinal/Behavioural Change

The workshops motivated many participants to engage with further health and safety mechanisms and practices, e.g. some volunteered to be health and safety representatives within their respective organisations and others committed to further contact with staff from the Department of Labour and ACC for site compliance and assessment visits. Some workers acknowledged it was hard to change attitudes: 'I've done the same job many times over and nothing has happened so it won't happen to me'.

Ethnic Specific Pacific Needs for Puataunofo

Despite general consensus on the value of Puataunofo, participants identified three requirements that they considered useful to meeting the needs of workers. These are:

Workshops conducted in ethnic specific Pacific languages
Resources produced in ethnic specific Pacific languages
Follow up with participants

Information on Attendees

APN Print Ltd Workshop

The first workshop was held at APN Print Ltd (Chart 1) and there was a good attendance however some staff could not attend due to shift work. Of the 23 workers who attended 56% were of Pacific descent. Workers shared stories of accidents and needing to know more about ACC claims and other entitlements. A Samoan worker who had worked at APN Print for 29 years said that this was his first workshop and he found it very informative and wanted to know more about how to be a health and safety representative.

Chart 1 APN Print Ltd Workshop Ethnicity make up

There was a diverse group that attended at the APN Print Ltd workshop. The Tongans were the largest Pacific island group represented at the workshop. 56% in total were of Pacific origins.

Chart 1
Ethnicity	Percentage
European	31
Tongan	26
Samoan	17
Cook Island	9
Maori	9
Fijian	4
Asian	4

Heller Tasty Ltd

The Heller Tasty Ltd (Chart 2) workshop had 9 workers who attended. 33% were Cook Islanders, 22% Samoan making it a total of 55% Pacific Islanders. The rest of the group was made of up of Europeans. Some workers received very short notice and recommended another workshop be held to provide the training to those who were unable to attend. One worker had attended previous health and safety workshops and found this one much more interesting especially with the visuals identifying hazards.

Chart 2 Heller Tasty Ltd Workshop Ethnicity make up

Heller Tasty Ltd workshops did not have as much diversity as APN Print Ltd. Pacific ethnicities still made up 55% of the attendees; the majority Pacific island group were of Cook Island descent.

Chart 2
Ethnicity	Percentage
European	45
Cook Island	33
Samoan	22

Big Tuff Pallets Ltd

Two workshops were delivered at Big Tuff Pallets Ltd (Chart 3) to cater for morning and evening shift workers with mainly Samoan workers in attendance. Feedback included workers compromising safety because of language and cultural issues.

Chart 3 Big Tuff Pallets Ltd Workshop Ethnicity make up

The majority of attendees at the Big Tuff Pallets workshops were of Samoan descent making up 77% of the attendees. 81% in total were of Pacific origin.

Chart 3
Ethnicity	Percentage
Samoan	77
Cook Island	4
Maori	11
Asian	4
Indian	4

AMCOR Kiwi Packaging Ltd

Two workshops were delivered at AMCOR Kiwi Packaging Ltd (Chart 4) to cater for morning and evening shift workers with the majority of attendees being Pacific workers. The employer was very happy with the high numbers attending and work safety issues being discussed and resolved.

Chart 4 AMCOR Kiwi Packaging Ltd Workshop Ethnicity make up

At Amcor Kiwi Packaging Ltd, Samoans and Tongans made up the majority of the Pacific Island attendees at the workshop. 92% in total were of Pacific origin.

Chart 4
Ethnicity	Percentage
Tongan	38
Tahitian	4
Cook Island	13
Samoan	33
Tokelauan	4
Maori	4
European	4

Summary of Workshops

Over 80 workers attended six workshops. The majority of attendees were Pacific Island at 73% (Chart 5) the other attendees were European, Maori and Asian. The overall impact on workers has been positive with many indicating they have an increased awareness of workplace safety.

Chart 5 Summary of Workshops

Surveying the attendees of all workshops combined, 73% were made up of Pacific Islanders while others made up 27%. The aim of the Puataunofo Manukau group was to reach a majority target group of Pacific Island workers and this has been achieved.

Chart 5
Ethnicity	Percentage
Pacific combined	73
Other combined	27