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Kia ora koutou,
Did you know that carcinogens and airborne risks contribute an estimated 31% of the total burden of work-related harm in New Zealand?
Results from WorkSafe’s Carcinogens Survey indicate that about 80,000 workers are exposed to high levels of silica dust, which can lead to cancers, respiratory and other diseases. Workers in the engineered stone industry are at particular risk.
We are working with the industry to ensure businesses manage the risks within current regulatory settings. Over the past few months our inspectors reassessed the 69 higher risk engineered stone businesses based on their compliance history. We are seeing improvement in dust management from past years. The Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety has received advice from the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE) on potential regulatory options for the engineered stone industry, which the Minister is currently reviewing.
See our latest guidance on managing the risks from dusts below.
In this edition of our work-related health newsletter you’ll find useful information about:
- the latest guidance on controlling dust
- accelerated silicosis in the engineered stone industry
- the role of work factors in suicide
- using SafePlus to tackle health and safety issues
- musculoskeletal risk assessment workshops
- proposed changes to workplace exposure standards and biological exposure indices
- recent changes to the Health and Safety Association New Zealand (HASANZ) register
- health and safety at ports
- 10 most viewed work-related health pages on our website
- upcoming learning opportunities.
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Some of the most common construction and manufacturing jobs create high levels of dust. These jobs often involve the use of power tools like cut-off saws, grinders, polishers, breakers and sanders.
Many dusts are, or include, substances hazardous to health.
This guidance advises businesses how to choose, use and maintain an on-tool water suppression system to control dust.
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This safety alert highlights the serious health and safety risks of exposure to high levels of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) for those who work in the engineered stone industry.
Cases of silicosis began to be identified in people working with engineered stone benchtops in Queensland, Australia, in 2015. Since then, cases of chronic silicosis and probable or possible accelerated silicosis have been diagnosed in engineered stone workers in New Zealand.
Before starting work using engineered stone, businesses must complete a risk assessment and review their controls. Uncontrolled cutting, grinding, sanding, drilling and polishing of engineered stone is unacceptable and must not be undertaken.
We have advice and guidance for all work with engineered stone, including at the fabrication workshop and when installing on the client’s site.
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More information about the accelerated silicosis risk from engineered stone and exposure to respirable crystalline silica is on our website. This information has recently been updated.
We have extensive guidance on reducing exposure to dust, including silica dust, available on our website.
Our guidance for businesses and workers on controlling silica dust is available in multiple languages.
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In 2022 we completed a project to collect data and increase understanding about work-related suicide. The report from this work is now available on our website.
The research report discusses:
- the difference between potential and actual work-related suicides
- work design, social factors, work environment and other psychosocial factors that contribute to work-related suicide
- a process for exploring whether work-related stressors significantly contribute to a suicide
- recommendations for future research and prevention of work-related suicide
- data by industry, ethnicity and gender.
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Safeguard recently published their ‘State of the Nation’ survey, which found culture the biggest challenge in the coming year.
The SafePlus toolkit supports businesses in developing a culture that includes everyone’s health and safety practices and ideas.
A SafePlus ‘deep dive’ onsite assessment describes and looks for 10 indicators of good performance across leadership, worker engagement and risk management. Independent SafePlus advisors work with you and your people to create a shared understanding of strengths and improvement priorities for your business.
Benefits described by assessed businesses include gaining unbiased insight into their health and safety performance and culture, with recommendations on how to improve.
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We have a range of resources and tools to assess musculoskeletal health risks. These aim to support businesses to tackle the wide range of hazardous manual tasks that contribute to high injury rates.
A series of workshops in May and June introducing manual handling screening and risk assessment tools are being offered to members of some specialist associations, including occupational health nursing, occupational health physiotherapy, occupational therapy, human factors/ergonomics, occupational hygiene, occupational medicine, and moving and handling. Members should check their recent newsletters for registration details. Further workshops for health and safety generalists and industry groups are being planned.
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From 10 May, or shortly thereafter, to 30 August 2024, we will consult on proposed changes to the workplace exposure standards (WES) and biological exposure indices (BEI). 57 WES and one BEI were reviewed, with changes proposed to 44 substances.
The WES and BEI values were last updated in 1994 and we have been updating these values according to the latest evidence and new data available. WES and BEI values are recommended standards to support businesses to minimise exposures to work-related health risks. You can read about how we set WES and BEI on our website.
Once consultation opens, you will be able to view the proposal document and submit your feedback on our website.
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The Health and Safety Association New Zealand (HASANZ) Register has been refreshed to make it easy to find qualified workplace health and safety professionals throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. People on the HASANZ Register have met the high standard of competence required by their professional association. By referring to the HASANZ Register, businesses can have confidence that they are using a competent health and safety professional.
Recent improvements include:
- a greater focus on the disciplines
- improved search function
- the ability to seach for professionals available for work (both potential employees and contractors)
- easy and free registration for professionals that meet the required standard.
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Clearer lines of responsibilities in New Zealand’s major ports are on the horizon, with work underway to transfer health and safety regulatory responsibility from WorkSafe to Maritime New Zealand.
From 1 July 2024, Maritime NZ will be the responsible health and safety regulator on New Zealand’s 13 major ports. We will retain responsibility for major hazard facilities on ports and for granting, varying, and cancelling authorisations and exemptions under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA). We will still have oversight of inland ports across New Zealand, and responsibilities under the Gas Act and Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.
Early this year both agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding which outlines our cooperative approach towards health and safety on, around and outside ports.
Maritime NZ has recently published port profiles on their website, which show areas to be covered by their new designation. From June, these profiles will also be available in an interactive format online.
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Top 10 most viewed work-related health pages on our website
Check out these popular topics on our website:
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