Kia ora koutou and welcome to the last work-related health newsletter of 2022.

For many businesses there is a lot of work to be done before the holiday season. With work demands, end of year activities and socialising, it’s important to remain vigilant about work-related health.

On behalf of WorkSafe, I wish you all a restful break and a happy new year.

Thank you for your continued mahi and support to improve the health of workers in Aotearoa.

Ngā mihi nui

Useful links and guidance to help you get ready for summer.

It’s timely to remind workers who are outdoors, and therefore exposed to harmful UV radiation, about the risks of skin cancer.

See the Cancer Society SunSmart tips for employers: 

Many industries rely on workers being physically and mentally alert. Fatigue is a state of physical and/or mental exhaustion which reduces a person’s ability to perform work safely and effectively.

Carrying out work indoors and outdoors can lead to heat-related illness or injury.

Involving young people in the workplace is a great way to provide them with experience during summer, however, there may be new or different risks for businesses and organisations to manage.

To help businesses and organisations build and support mentally healthy work, we have published a series of 16 short essays.

Our aim was to invite a range of experts, practitioners, thought leaders and interested parties to share their knowledge and insights on mentally healthy work in Aotearoa.

To help build and support mentally healthy work, we conducted research on how workers perceive the relationship between work and wellbeing. What factors contribute to a good day at work and enhance work-related wellbeing?

Carcinogens and airborne exposures account for at least 31% of work-related harm. Controlling and preventing exposure will make a lasting impact on health, safety and wellbeing.

For those who couldn’t attend our recent in-person roadshows, we‘ve put together a digital resource on how to prevent harm from carcinogens and airborne risks.

Flexible and distance working have become much more common in the past few years.

We recently released guidance about how to set up a healthy home office. This fact sheet discusses the physical and environmental factors that support a healthy workstation and gives suggestions for how to address any discomfort that may occur.

When kaimahi (workers) are required to work on asbestos-containing material they must be trained to do the work safely. This means understanding both the risks and how to manage them with controls to suppress or contain any asbestos-containing dust, and how to dispose of asbestos waste safely so others are not exposed to the dust.

WorkSafe, the New Zealand Demolition & Asbestos Association (NZDAA) and the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand (FAMANZ) have come together to encourage better asbestos management.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) talks about ‘other persons at a workplace.’ These are people other than workers who are present at a workplace.

We recently published an information sheet about who is responsible for the health and safety of these people, and what this looks like in practice.

ACC has launched a new campaign to improve Māori awareness and access to their services. Kia Mahea, Kia Puāwai (making it clear so we can flourish) aims to share practical information about services and support available to whānau when they are injured. This includes access to rongoā Māori - traditional Māori healing.