Capacity of the research workforce

The delays in allocating research funding appear to be compounded by concerns identified by stakeholders about the overall capacity of the occupational health and safety research workforce, and about the capacity of specialist research institutions. Most organisations are involved in research regarding injury surveillance rather than research into occupational health issues (with the exception of the Centre for Public Health Research). This supports previous stakeholder comment about the relative paucity of occupational health research capacity. It was difficult to assess the number of FTE engaged in this field. Developing the occupational health and safety research workforce is an issue requiring attention and efforts to develop the workforce are being made (for example, the Occupational Health Research Career Development Awards). This scheme is relatively new and the first round of funding is currently being allocated. No evaluation of its success has been undertaken to date so it is not possible for the project team to comment on its success.  . 4 AwA R E N E S S - R A I S I N g AC T I v I T I E S Both the Department of Labour and ACC have statutory roles of preventing injury in the workplace. One of the mechanisms to assist in the fulfilment of this role is the use of awareness-raising techniques. This section briefly highlights the range of awareness-raising techniques used to promote good health and safety outcomes and improved workplace health and safety practices.

 . 4 . M E C H A N I S M S F O R R A I S I N g AwA R E N E S S

There are a number of mechanisms used to raise awareness. These are briefly listed here. In many cases, the individual examples are too numerous to include so a broad statement of availability is made instead.

• Publications including short pamphlets, booklets, posters and guides are produced by ACC, the Department of Labour and Maritime New Zealand.

• Website – ACC and the Department of Labour have excellent websites that contain a considerable amount of information and access to information on injury prevention. There are numerous other websites on occupational health and safety such as those run by the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management and those operated by off-shore organisations.

• Public broadcasts – ACC injury prevention advertisements have high visibility; specific workplace-related broadcasts are less common.

Specific guidance material, industry codes of practice and technical documents are discussed in section 3.3.6 of this report.

 . 4 .  S TA k E H O L D E R C O M M E N T S A B O U T AwA R E N E S S - R A I S I N g

Stakeholder comments regarding awareness-raising were mixed. Generally stakeholders considered that awareness of health and safety issues had increased markedly, although it was difficult to ascertain the drivers for this increase. Some stakeholders considered that the legislation framework had played a key role in this. Others considered that it was a combined effort of a range of agency and sector activities. Three government stakeholders and one health and safety professional considered that a low understanding of health and safety exists, especially in terms of the application of a prevention-based model. Specific concerns about awareness raised by stakeholders included that: • the content of publications needs to be clear and simple and that some publications are too technical or are written for an academic audience • some audiences are very difficult to reach, especially small employers and non-unionised workforces. No stakeholders commented on the overall quality of awareness-raising activities.  . 4 .  C O M M E N T S A N D C O N C LU S I O N S Awareness-raising activities play a key part in raising the overall consciousness of a community in terms of health and safety. New Zealand is served by a range of activities undertaken by a number of organisations. However, the overall impact of these activities is unknown as there is a paucity of evaluative material on either specific campaigns or on the body of awareness-raising mechanisms.

O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y I N N E w Z E A L A N D – N O H S AC T E C H N I C A L R E P O R T N U M B E R 7 

APPENDICES

6

A  O U T P U T S

The main objective is to develop a comprehensive national profile on occupational health and safety in New Zealand.

The selection of items and indicators for the profile should be referenced and compatible with the requirements of the proposed ILO Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health. The national profile will be presented in a similar style to that used by the ILO Profile for Singapore. Where appropriate, this profile should also be supported by the use of tables as used in the ILO Profile for Turkey. The national profile will be supported by a technical report that specifically addresses the following areas: general information, national occupational health and safety systems, national occupational health and safety programmes, barriers to occupational health and safety. In addition, the technical report will include information on the following elements, where appropriate: • Co-ordination and collaboration mechanisms at national and enterprise levels, including national programme review mechanisms. • Technical standards, codes of practice and guidelines. • Educational and awareness-raising structures.

• Specialised technical, medical and scientific institutions with linkages to various aspects of occupational health and safety, including research institutes and laboratories concerning occupational health and safety. • Human resources active in the area of occupational health and safety, such as inspectors, officers, occupational physicians and hygienists. • Occupational accidents and disease statistics. • Policies and programmes of organisations of employers and workers. • Regular or ongoing activities related to occupational health and safety, including international collaboration. • Related data addressing, for example, demography, literacy, economy and employment, as available, as well as any other relevant information. The national profile is to be developed from the technical report. The primary audience for both the national profile and the technical report will be NOHSAC. Other audiences may include the Associate Minister of Labour, policy analysts, researchers, and health and safety professionals. The primary methods will be consultation with relevant agencies and organisations and a review of relevant literature.

Appendix A: Project Terms of Reference

O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y I N N E w Z E A L A N D – N O H S AC T E C H N I C A L R E P O R T N U M B E R 7   Appendix B lists the key informants with whom the project team met as part of the information collection phase of this report. The project team acknowledges the contribution made by these stakeholders and wishes to thank them for their participation. B  g Ov E R N M E N T Ag E N C I E S Accident Compensation Corporation Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand Department of Labour Department of Statistics Environmental Risk Management Authority Land Transport New Zealand Maritime New Zealand Ministry of Health Ministry of Transport National Poisons Centre National Radiation Laboratory Standards New Zealand

B  E M P LOY E R O RgA N I SAT I O N S

Business New Zealand Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) B  E M P LOY E E R E P R E S E N TAT I v E S NZ Council of Trade Unions B 4 R E S E A RC H I N S T I T U T I O N S A N D L A B O R AT O R I E S Belhouse Consultants Centre for Public Health Research Dowdell and Associates Health Research Council Injury Prevention Research Unit B  O C C U PAT I O N A L H E A LT H P R AC T I T I O N E R S Australasian Faculty of Occupational Medicine New Zealand Ergonomics Society New Zealand Occupational Health Nurses’ Association New Zealand Occupational Hygienists’ Society Occupational Safety and Health Information Group