We are all feeling the impact of COVID-19 on our work and health to varying degrees. So you will not be surprised to see that we are kicking off the newsletter this time by summarising WorkSafe’s key resources that pertain to COVID-19. From our website usage data, we can see that the vaccine information is understandably some of the most popular right now.

There is of course lots of numerous other activity to update you on in relation to work-related health. We have outlined below a range of perspectives for you; updates on a grant from ACC, an opportunity to participate in this year’s Worker Exposure Standards and Biological Exposure Indices review, and an updated education tool about the role of an Occupational Hygienist.

Your feedback is always useful in helping us select the most useful updates on work-related health - so feel free to let us know if there is anything you would like to see included in these newsletters at wrh@worksafe.govt.nz. For now, thank you for your continued support to improve the work-related health outcomes of New Zealanders.

We continue to keep our COVID-19 Alert Level guidance up to date, with different alert level settings across the country. Also we develop new guidance to reflect Health Orders as they are introduced to counter the Delta variant.  

New guidance recently published includes how to decide what work requires a vaccinated employee - by completing a risk assessment - and our enforcement approach. On 26 October the Government announced that a new risk assessment process will be introduced under public health legislation later this year. Our guidance helps employers make a risk assessment under HSWA in the interim. Other recent guidance covers what our expectations are for contact recording and face coverings.

We are also now publishing COVID-19 potential breach data for workplaces, which is based on breaches raised with us since the 18 August Delta outbreak lockdown. You can find our comprehensive COVID-19 guidance on our website. 

We have some case studies about how New Zealand businesses are keeping their customers and workers safe. Check out the case studies to see how business challenges in different alert levels are being managed.  

The New Zealand Engineered Stone Advisory Group (NZESAG) launched the Respirable Crystalline Silica Accreditation Programme earlier this year to educate workers and employers on how to safely manage fabricating engineered stone by introducing new guidelines and audit measures. 

For a limited time, engineered stone fabricating businesses that join the programme can access a $2,300 ACC contribution towards the cost of the initial audit with an occupational hygienist. This includes exposure monitoring sampling. 

You can find out more when you register for the programme. The funding contribution is only available for a limited time, but you can secure the ACC contribution by registering even if you are not ready now for the onsite audit. 

The NZESAG won the 2021 best initiative to address a work-related health risk at this year’s Safeguard awards for its engineered stone accreditation programme. 

We got together with the NZESAG to make a video about how the programme works to help engineered stone fabricator businesses to address the health issue their workers face. Watch the video to find out more. 

Remember to check out our comprehensive suite of dust guidance, including silica dust. 

Aimex Limited was sentenced recently in the Nelson District Court for failing to ensure a worker was not exposed to hazards arising from the use of a hazardous substance.

The worker was found unresponsive in the empty engine room of a catamaran where they were using a solvent to clean oily residue. They were taken to hospital and has since suffered ongoing health issues. 

This case is a reminder to businesses that they must ensure effective controls are applied, including adequate ventilation, when their workers are using solvents. 

The company was fined $250,000 and ordered to pay $50,000 reparation. It was also ordered to pay $15,000 consequential loss, and $1,434.12 prosecution costs. 

Our SafePlus health and safety improvement tool now has several new features following feedback from businesses. Changes include: 

• reducing the number of improvement priorities in assessment reports for smaller businesses and those with less developed health and safety systems, from five areas to three 
• a refreshed collection of New Zealand-focused guidance material 
• highlighting the user’s best-performing area from their assessment, as a starting point to explore and spread the success factors behind what is working well in the business
• a new optional question, to help employers to better understand what support their people need to stay mentally healthy when working from home. 

The free online tool lets any business check how it’s doing in health and safety, by sending out a set of questions to gather anonymous feedback from everyone in the business. Questions cover leadership, worker engagement and risk management. Sign up to use the SafePlus online tool.

We are proposing changes to the Workplace Exposure Standard (WES) of 30 substances and the Biological Exposure Index (BEI) of one substance.  

Consultation closes at 5pm on 4 February 2022. You can view the documents for each substance and submit feedback on the online form on our website.

Have you ever wondered what an occupational hygienist does, and how their expertise could help solve issues around exposures to health risks in your workplace? 

HASANZ has developed a video in conjunction with the New Zealand Occupational Hygiene Society. 

We have partnered with HASANZ, Hazardous Substances Professionals NZ (HSPNZ) and the NZ Institute for Hazardous Substances Management (NZIHSM) to address the career and training needs of Hazardous Substances Compliance Certifiers. We authorise Compliance Certifiers to issue a compliance certificate across a range of high risk areas, including explosives, flammable, toxic and corrosive chemicals.  A compliance certificate confirms that the storage, handling and use of these chemicals complies with specific requirements of the Health and Safety (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017.  Incorrect handling and storage can increase unwanted exposure to these substances leading to serious health outcomes. 

HASANZ has been tasked to deliver a training programme to upskill existing authorised certifiers and attract new entrants to the certification regime.  Massey University is delivering two foundation courses focusing on hazardous substances management which covers compliance certifier requirements. More information, including course information, is on the HASANZ website. Information about how to become a compliance certifier is on the WorkSafe website.