Welcome to this issue of the hazardous substances newsletter.

This issue, we have information about:

• Work-related health estimates and the burden of harm
• Accelerated silicosis
• Help with converting GHS classifications
• New forms for notification of hazardous substance locations or transit depots
• Worker exposure survey results
• Revised guide to gas cylinders
• New guidance: handling solvents, building health and safety in contract management and hydrogen suphide

We use estimates of work-related ill-health and the burden of work-related harm to compare between illness caused by long-term exposure to health hazards, and acute injury. The estimates are also used to determine which diseases account for the most ill-health.

We've recently reviewed the work-related health estimates to take into account new international research, and will use the revised estimates along with other information to inform decisions to improve worker health.

We've also measured the burden of work-related harm using data from these estimates and information on the quality and length of life lost for each kind of work-related injury and illness. Find out more about our revised estimates and see how the burden of work-related ill-health is far greater than that of acute injuries.

In our previous newsletter we highlighted the health risks of inhaling dust, especially very fine dust containing crystalline silica (respirable crystalline silica or RCS) which can result in serious lung diseases. RCS dust is created when materials containing silica are cut, ground, drilled, sanded, polished or otherwise disturbed. We have a range of guidance on working with silica that explains the risks, health impacts, and ways to manage exposure.

We recently updated our safety alert on accelerated silicosis – a serious, irreversible and progressive lung disease that has arisen in stonemasons in the benchtop industry in Australia.

We're working with the Ministry of Health and ACC to set up a self-referral process for workers who consider themselves at high risk of exposure to dust from engineered stone. We are also determining appropriate on-going health monitoring.

Before you commission a new hazardous substance location or transit depot or if your quantities held at a site have changed, you need to notify us by filling out our new online notification form. Notify us at least 30 days prior of commissioning a new site.

We also have a form to notify us if you are storing in the short-term a 6.1A, 6.1B or 6.1C substance associated with the imminent start of a pest control operation or pesticide application. You will need to notify us at least 24 hours prior to commissioning the place where the substance will be stored.

We recently published our Worker Exposure Survey report, the results of which will help establish the prevalence of a wide range of occupational risk factors across industry groups and occupations.

This is a significant step in establishing evidence of current occupational exposures for New Zealand workers. The current levels of reported exposures also demonstrate the importance of businesses and workers doing more to manage and monitor risk to worker health.

Four key industries known to have high health exposures were included – construction, agriculture, collision repair and sawmills. Clerical, hospitality and community-based nursing workers were also included as these groups are known to have psychosocial risk concerns which we want to understand better.

We've created a quick reference fact sheet of common do’s and dont's when working with organic solvents.

Health and safety obligations can overlap in a contracting chain when contractors and subcontractors provide services to a lead contractor or client.

We've created new guidance on building health and safety into contract management. The guide covers:

• your duties under HSWA
• managing overlapping duties
• scoping work
• pre-qualifying the contractor
• contractor selection and negotiation of terms
• awarding the contract
• monitoring the contract
• post-contract review.

We recently published a new fact sheet describing the risk posed by high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide, especially in businesses operating or located near geothermal bores. 

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is a toxic gas which occurs in a variety of natural and industrial settings. This fact sheet may be especially relevant to construction or road works where there is excavation, or to businesses with geothermal pools open to the public. 

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