Aims: The aim of this session will be to outline WorkSafe’s new strategic plan for work-related health.

A typical worker in New Zealand is ten times as likely to die of a work-related disease as they are a work-related injury, and many more thousands of workers develop and suffer from work-related ill-health. Similarly, health-related factors and attributes (including fatigue, consumption of drugs and alcohol, and medical fitness-to-work) affect potential safety risks from a building site to a Major Hazard facility.

Despite this, the focus given to work-related health risk management remains poor and inconsistent. The vast majority of work-related health harm experienced fails to be identified, recorded or acted upon, despite evidence of a strong socioeconomic business case for doing so.

As the regulator for workplace health and safety, WorkSafe New Zealand is committed to ensuring that work-related harm to health is reduced and has been working to develop a long-term strategic plan that will provide a clear direction and approach to its activities over the coming ten years. Within this plan, three strategic themes and nine levers (areas of focus) have been identified:

Strategic Theme 1: Industry Leadership

Lever 1: Awareness, Engagement and Learning
Lever 2: Partnering With Others
Lever 3: Health by Design
Lever 4: Workforce Development

Strategic Theme 2: Regulatory Effectiveness

Lever 5: Organisational Capability
Lever 6: Guidance and Education
Lever 7: Research and Intelligence
Lever 8: Regulatory Framework

Strategic Theme 3: Targeted Interventions

Lever 9: Targeted Interventions

Audience members will benefit from attending this session by developing a stronger understanding of WorkSafe’s approach to work-related health, its interpretation of key issues and the expectations it has of duty holders when considering and address work-related health.