Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015

Rautaki mō te Haumaru me te Hauora o te Wāhi Mahi mō Aotearoa ki te 2015

Snapshot of Progress 2006/07

Highlights for year two of the strategy in action

The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy to 2015 was launched in July 2005. The Strategy aims to lift New Zealand's workplace health and safety performance, to enhance the productivity of New Zealand businesses and to reduce New Zealand's work toll.

The Strategy is a framework for action that will:

• raise awareness about workplace health and safety
• co-ordinate and prioritise workplace health and safety activities across stakeholders
• improve the infrastructure that supports workplace health and safety.

This snapshot of progress highlights the achievements during 2006/07. The Action Reporting Template in Appendix 1 sets out in further detail all of the activity undertaken in year two of the Strategy.

To move towards the strategic vision of healthy people in safe and productive workplaces, concerted action is required by government, industry, individual workplaces and communities. Partnership and collaboration is crucial.

During the 2006/07 year, many initiatives were undertaken within each of the Strategy's three outcome areas: Government Leadership and Practices, Preventive Workplace Cultures, and Industry Leadership and Community Engagement.

As in the first year of the Strategy, many of the achievements are in the outcome area of Government Leadership and Practice, reflecting the need for a solid infrastructure to serve the Strategy over the next decade.

Workplace Health and Safety Council playing a central role (06/07 Priority)

A significant development this year has been the establishment of the Workplace Health and Safety Council.

At its first meeting in May 2007, the Council agreed that its priority will be to identify actions and activities that make a difference and have the greatest impact.

Connecting with existing employer, employee and professional networks will be a vital part of the Council's role and will help the Council drive co-ordinated health and safety actions and information into workplaces and the wider community.

Over the next 12 months, the Council will focus on providing advice on the best ways to:

• implement the Strategy over the medium to long term
• improve the interface between government agencies and how they implement key pieces of health and safety legislation
• improve health and safety practices, systems, standards and information flow
• involve employer, employee organisations, industry and the community in health and safety initiatives.

Strategy Implementation Road Map - finding agreed pathways (06/07 Priority)

Achieving healthy people in safe and productive workplaces is complex. The Strategy makes the final destination clear - the Workplace Health and Safety Implementation Road Map provides an outline of how to get there, along an agreed path. The draft Road Map, developed by the Department of Labour, describes the pathways to progressing workplace health and safety across New Zealand. It outlines short, medium and long-term opportunities to achieve the vision, and requires the development of high level indicators to measure the progress of the Strategy. An early task for the Council will be providing input into the draft Road Map.

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