New Zealand’s Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the situation regarding a new type of coronavirus, known as COVID-19.
In this context, minimising the spread of infectious diseases in the workplace is all the more important to keep staff safe and well at work. Check the Ministry of Health website for the latest updates and business.govt.nz which has collated information from other government agencies.
We've been regularly updating businesses about what we and other New Zealand Government agencies are doing following the emergence in Australia of accelerated silicosis. This includes updating and producing new guidance, and translating some guides into Te Reo Māori, Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional, Hindi, Samoan and Tongan.
We've recently published translations into Tagalog (Filipino). You can find the Tagalog translation of the following guides:
Noise at work can be harmful to hearing, but hearing loss is preventable if you adopt noise control measures.
Check out our new video on noise vibration control which adds to our noise management video series. We also have lots of information on our website about ways you can manage noise risks, including isolation, absorption, acoustic enclosures, reducing impact noise and damping.
Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) play an important role in representing and advocating for workers’ health and safety. This is a cornerstone of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 but little is known about the motivations, experiences and challenges of New Zealand’s HSRs.
Last year, we conducted an online survey with the HSRs across different industries to find out more about them. For example, 42% of HSRs are male and 57% female, and one in 10 is in their 20s, one in three in their 50s, and one in four in their 40s. Survey results will be used to look at ways to better support HSRs to help them better perform in their roles.
The Health Promotion Agency/Te Hiringa Hauora has also relaunched its sun safety campaign #DumbBurn, aimed at encouraging young people to avoid getting sunburnt. Have a look at the campaign on Facebook.
We also have guidance for businesses on protecting workers from solar UV radiation, and for workers on keeping safe in the sun.
We recently endorsed theSafer Nursing 24/7: National Code of Practice for Managing Fatigue and Shift Work in Hospital-Based Nursing.
The guidelines are for hospitals, nursing supervisors and other nursing-related businesses. They set out a series of scientific principles and related actions for managing the risk of fatigue associated with shift work in hospital-based nursing. The code of practice was developed by renowned sleep expert Philippa Gander and her team, in consultation with nurses and other medical staff around New Zealand.
Worker exposure standards and biological exposure indices review
We are reviewing the Worker Exposure Standards (WES) of 18 substances and Biological Exposure Indices (BEI) of two substances. This is part of our on-going work to ensure businesses are equipped with accurate information to keep workers safe from health exposures.
The reviews of all substances will be published on our website by April, ready for public consultation from approximately April to June. If you would like to receive updates, please email exposurestandards@worksafe.govt.nz. The substances for review are:
Workplace Exposure Standards (WES)
Allyl glycidyl ether
Aniline and homologues
Arsenic and soluble compounds, as As
Benzene
Cadmium and compounds, as Cd
Chromium (VI) compounds
Copper fume - dusts and mists, as Cu
Diethyl sulphate
Dinitro-o-cresol
Dioxane
Formaldehyde
Hydroquinone
Phenol
Vanadium, as V2O5 respirable dust and fume
Vinyl acetate
Zinc oxide
Acetaldehyde (a re-review of the 2018 proposal)
Synthetic vitreous fibres (a re-review of the 2018 proposal)
Mental health and wellbeing at work is an area of increasing focus in New Zealand. The fourth annual Health and Safety Leadership survey report - Covering all the bases: How leaders are managing mental health and wellbeing in the workplace was released late last year.
Most of the 140 participants were chief executives or directors, though some senior health and safety and human resources executives also took part. Both private and public sector organisations were surveyed.
The survey is conducted by Deloitte on behalf of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum.
The New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society’s conference this year is from 5 - 7 May in Queenstown. There will be sessions catering for generalists and advanced hygienists covering the latest work-related health issues, topics and discussions.
