Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015
Appendix 1: Key statistics for work-related disease and injury in New Zealand2
2 Source: The Burden of Occupational Disease and Injury in New Zealand: Report from the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee to the Associate Minister of Labour, Wellington, 2004 (www.nohsac.govt.nz)
Work-related disease
It is estimated that between 700 and 1,000 workers die prematurely in New Zealand as a result of work-related disease each year:
- About 80% of these deaths occur in men.
- About 30%-40% of these deaths are due to occupational cancers including lung cancer, mesothelioma, leukaemia, and bladder cancer.
- Other occupational diseases representing a high burden include ischaemic heart disease and respiratory diseases.
There are an estimated 17,000-20,000 new cases of work-related disease and 2,500-5,500 new severe cases of work-related disease every year:
- About 75% of these diseases occur in men.
- Musculoskeletal disease is thought to be the highest incidence occupation-related disease, followed by diseases of the ear, skin disorders, chronic respiratory disease, diseases of the digestive system, and cancer.
Work-related injury
There are about 100 work-related fatal injuries in New Zealand every year:
- Just over 94% of these deaths occur in men.
- The agriculture, forestry and fishing sector has the highest number of fatal work-related injury deaths.
- Deaths from work-related injury are primarily due to motor vehicles, machinery-related accidents, water-transport accidents, people being struck by falling objects, and people falling.
Each year in New Zealand over 200,000 occupational injuries result in ACC claims. This corresponds to 12 injuries per 100 workers:
- About 74% of the work-related injuries occur in males.
- The manufacturing sector has the highest number of work-related injuries.
- The highest injury-incidence rates are in the mining industry, construction industry, and agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
- Sprains and strains are by far the most frequent injury (90,000 claims), followed by open wounds (37,000 claims).
- An estimated 50% of injuries result in impairment, and 6% in permanent impairment.
Appendix 2: Developing the Strategy
The Strategy was developed by the Department of Labour in association with:
- the WHSSStakeholder Group (comprising nominees from organisations that represent a range of workplace roles and perspectives)
- the WHSS Government Agency Group (comprising representatives of government agencies that have responsibilities for, or strong interests in, workplace health and safety).
Group members are listed below.
The development process was also informed by:
- the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy (NZIPS) and the experiences of the NZIPS Secretariat
- the Managing for Outcomes Framework, which is widely used by government agencies in New Zealand
- the International Labour Organisation proposals to develop a promotional framework for occupational safety and health
- the experiences of other countries (e.g. Australia and Great Britain), which have published and implemented national workplace health and safety strategies
- published statistics and reviews of the literature on the effectiveness of workplace health and safety interventions
- feedback from the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee and its 2004 report on the burden of occupational disease and injury in New Zealand
- an analysis of 63 public submissions received on a draft Strategy
- a series of meetings and workshops with groups of stakeholders.
Further information is available on the Strategy website (www.dol.govt.nz/whss/).
WHSS Stakeholder Group members
| Member | Nominated by | Perspective |
| Mike Aberhart | Road Transport Forum | transport sector, employers |
| Carl Ammon | Department of Labour | industry training organisations |
| Alison Beswarick | New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses Association | occupational health and safety professionals |
| Bruce Cottrill | Federated Farmers of New Zealand | small business and self-employed people |
| Karen Fletcher | New Zealand Council of Trade Unions | employees |
| Melissa Haskell | Local Government New Zealand | local government |
| Irene King | Aviation Industry Association | transport sector, employers |
| No’ora Samuela | Department of Labour | Pacific people |
| Parekura White | Te Puni Kōkiri | Māori |
| Ross Wilson | New Zealand Council of Trade Unions | employees |
| David Wutzler | Business New Zealand | employers |
WHSS Government Agency Group members
| WHSS Government Agency Group members | ||
| Accident Compensation Corporation | Land Transport New Zealand | Ministry of Transport |
| Civil Aviation Authority | Maritime Safety Authority (now Maritime New Zealand) | Ministry of Women’s Affairs |
| Department of Labour | Ministry of Health | New Zealand Police |
| ERMA New Zealand | Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs | Te Puni Kōkiri |
Glossary
| Disease | An unhealthy condition of the body (or part of it) or of the mind. Illness or sickness. |
| Hazard | An activity, arrangement, circumstance, event, occurrence, phenomenon, process, situation, or substance that is an actual or potential cause or source of injury or illness. |
| Health | Unharmed. A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. |
| Industry | A group of organisations engaged in the same type of economic activity. Includes workplaces, employer organisations, unions, and industry training organisations. |
| Injury | Tissue damage resulting from either the acute transfer to individuals of one of the five forms of physical energy (kinetic or mechanical, thermal, chemical, electrical or radiant) or the sudden interruption of normal energy patterns to maintain life processes. |
| Outcome | A state or condition that is experienced by a group of people. |
| Productivity | The ratio between the value of the outputs produced and the inputs used. |
| Regulation | The setting and enforcing of standards. |
| Safe | All hazards being effectively managed. |
| Social dialogue | Sharing of information among, and consultation between, groups with a common interest. |
| Work | Physical or mental effort directed towards doing or making something. Paid employment at a job or trade, occupation or profession. |
| Worker | A person who works. Includes employees and self-employed people, as well as people undertaking similar unpaid work such as volunteers. |
| Workplace | A place at which a person works. Includes mobile workplaces (such as road vehicles, aircraft and boats) and other spaces (such as forest and bush, sports fields, and the open road). |
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