Consumer demand changes resulting from COVID-19 are having a big impact on New Zealand’s manufacturing and transport, postal, warehousing, and ports sectors.

Many of these changes affect worker safety in ways that we wouldn’t normally see. This means businesses have to actively monitor and manage the risks they see, and also actively consider worker wellbeing during this period of uncertainty.

They also need to ensure general health and safety practices are adhered to.

WorkSafe has been deemed an essential service by the Government during the COVID-19 alert level four period. Our focus is on supporting those essential services that are keeping the rest of the country healthy, fed and secure. If your business is an essential service you might find that at times, the balance between work health and safety and your critical work might be difficult.

We will take a reasonable and proportionate approach in these situations and will respond with the health and safety of our people as a key principal. Face-to-face meetings with stakeholders will be kept to an absolute minimum and will only take place with approval from a Chief Inspector.

You can find more information on how we will operate over the next few weeks as well as information to help your business through this time on our website. 

Manufacturers are having to meet the demand of the local market during the lockdown period. This is creating scenarios many of you are having to manage as you go because it is an unprecedented time.

Depending on the circumstances, you may need your workers to work extended or irregular hours of work, or have fewer workers covering tasks a larger workforce would normally do.  

In some cases, stock is building up, particularly meat industry freezers and chillers packed with product unable to be exported. This could result in:

• product not being racked and stacked correctly, or being over stacked
• businesses being ill-prepared / understaffed when production ramps up again 
• your workers experiencing fatigue, either as a skeleton operation or when production ramps up again.

The demand for distribution of products – particularly from supermarkets, or supermarket suppliers – has resulted in huge volume of goods going through warehouses which may result in the need to identify and manage your business health and safety risks around:

• more on-site congestion
• your staff working overtime or unusual shift patterns
• your drivers entering sites they are unfamiliar with
• increased risk of damage to stacking/storage systems
• changed or varied forklift driver routes both within and outside storage areas.

It is also important that you update traffic management plans and ensure safe separation of pedestrians and moving plant. When businesses’ duties overlap, businesses involved are required to work together and to consult, co-operate and co-ordinate their activities. This includes making sure any new, contract or casual staff are fully inducted into safety processes.

We have been told of drivers not being allowed access to toilets due to COVID-19 alert level 4 restrictions. We remind all businesses of their duty of care to ensure workers have access to adequate restroom facilities.

At our ports, we are hearing about items having to be stockpiled because they are not considered essential to be transported out. The stockpiling could pose risks of falling items or restricted space for moving vehicles.

We have more information for essential businesses operating in COVID-19 alert level four on our website.