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Kia ora koutou and welcome to the August work-related health newsletter.
Check out the latest guidance and reports to help you ensure a healthy and safe work environment for you and your workers.
In this edition:
- WorkSafe’s new strategy and Chief Executive
- Manual handling training is not an effective control
- Managing hazardous manual tasks
- Manual handling risk assessments
- Psychosocial survey of healthcare workers
- Workplace exposure standards consultation
- Safeguard awards winners
- ACC helping build health, safety and wellbeing culture
- Upcoming learning and networking opportunities
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We are delighted to share the appointment of Sharon Thompson as our new Chief Executive. Sharon has extensive public and private sector experience and is well placed to drive the delivery of our strategy. Read more about her appointment.
We have recently published our refreshed strategy, which defines our role in the wider health and safety at work system and sets out where we will focus our efforts. Influencing businesses and workers to manage chronic work-related health risks is a focus.
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Manual handling (or ‘how to lift’) training does not reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders. The Heads of Workplace Safety Authorities Australia & New Zealand have published a position and frequently asked questions on ‘how to lift training’.
We have now published these documents on our website where you can learn more about why relying on manual handling training as the only control is not effective, and what the legislative requirements are.
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Many workers are required to lift, push, pull, or carry objects or assume awkward and unbalanced postures for sustained periods of time, which can lead to painful injuries and long-term health concerns.
We have updated information on our website on managing hazardous manual tasks.
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Manual handling risk assessments – watch this space
We recently completed the first round of introductory manual handling risk assessment workshops in collaboration with the New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses Association.
We had six in-person workshops in Auckland, Wellington, New Plymouth, Christchurch and Dunedin. Around 200 health and safety specialists, including occupational health nurses, occupational health physiotherapists, vocational occupational therapists, human factors/ergonomics professionals, exercise physiologists, and a few generalist health and safety practitioners attended.
We are finalising the risk assessment tools and will publish them on our website shortly. We also aim to deliver future workshops to health and safety practitioners.
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The psychosocial survey of healthcare workers has recently been published and covers all aspects of the psychosocial working environment.
This research can support healthcare organisations to identify and address psychosocial risks at work and promote good practices to improve healthcare workers’ psychosocial health and wellbeing.
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We have reviewed 57 workplace exposure standards (WES) and one biological exposure index and are now consulting on proposed changes to 44 of those substances.
Consultation closes at 5pm on 30 August 2024.
Please note:
- Four substances that currently have an ‘interim’ WES value are included in the 2024 consultation: nitrogen dioxide, flour dust, titanium dioxide and vinyl acetate.
- Three substances that currently have an ‘interim’ WES value will be part of the consultation in 2025: softwood dust, isocyanates, and phosphine.
Please see our website for details including all documents, instructions, submission form and further explanations.
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Congratulations to all the winners at the recent Safeguard Magazine New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards, especially to Auckland Council, the winner of the WorkSafe/ACC New Zealand Supreme Award for Best Overall Contribution to Improving Workplace Health and Safety in New Zealand.
The judges were impressed by their design of a new household food waste bin that has hugely reduced the risk of musculoskeletal harm for the rubbish collectors who pick up thousands of these bins around the city every day.
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Work360 is an initiative led by The Cause Collective and funded by an ACC Workplace Injury Prevention Grant. It aims to improve the health and wellbeing of businesses with a high number of Māori and Pasifika employees.
The initiative involves a four-step design phase that brings together frontline staff and executive leadership to co-design innovative solutions.
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