Launch 'Burden of Occupational Disease and Injury in NZ'

Labour Minister Ruth Dyson
Launch NOHSAC report, Burden of Occupational Disease and Injury in NZ
Beehive Foyer, Wellington
2.00pm, 8 November 2004

Rau rangatira maa,
tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[Distinguished guests, greetings to you gathered here for this purpose today. Greetings once, twice, three times to you all.]

Greetings and welcome to the launch of the first report from the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee.
It is a privilege to host this event and I congratulate the committee for producing this highly valuable ground-breaking document.

Having responsibility for ACC as well as OSH, I am very aware that when it comes to occupational safety and health, the emphasis in New Zealand has long been on safety. We are not alone in this: the focus on occupational safety ahead of occupational health is an international phenomenon.
Those responsible for workplace health and safety are inclined to focus their resources on occupational injury because the effects are more immediate and obvious than occupational disease. Given the suddenness of injury events, their link to work activity is generally clear-cut. The sequence of events can be investigated and action to prevent a recurrence is much easier to establish.
Occupational health issues, however, often present greater challenges. The link to work may be less obvious or harder to prove. The effects might not be felt until after the person has moved on to a different job, or they may only show up after people have retired from paid work. But this difficulty in addressing the issues should not stop us from facing up to the challenge of occupational health.
The Government’s recognition that occupational health needs to be made a higher priority was a key reason why it established NOHSAC to provide independent advice on addressing the issues.
This first report – The Burden of Occupational Disease and Injury in New Zealand – is a substantial piece of work, published just 14 months after the committee’s first meeting.
It reflects, as I have mentioned, the increasing awareness – in New Zealand and internationally – that occupational injuries have attracted much more attention than occupational diseases, when diseases actually account for 10 times more work-related deaths than injuries.
There are an estimated 100 deaths a year from occupational injury – which is 100 deaths too many and which the Government is committed to seeing reduced. But in comparison there are between 700 and 1,000 deaths from occupational disease – most notably cancer, respiratory disease and heart disease.
In addition, we see up to 20,000 new cases of work-related diseases and about 200,000 work-related injuries that result in claims to ACC. About half of these result in impairment, and about 6% in permanent impairment.
These are significant statistics, especially when you consider their often long-term consequences and the social and economic costs for the workers, their families, their employers, the health system, the Government and the economy – and the fact that these deaths and injuries are avoidable.
It is important to note that many of the deaths in any single year result from historic occupational conditions – such as cancers related to asbestos in the workplace. Their numbers will increase in coming years, while new health issues are expected to emerge as work and workplaces change with the times.
New types and ways of working will introduce new hazards, which we must continue to strive to identify as early as possible so that we can develop the necessary prevention measures.
Right now, about 30% to 40% of the deaths from work-related disease are caused by occupational cancer – mainly lung cancer, leukaemia and bladder cancer. The next most common causes are diseases of the circulatory system such as heart disease; and respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and asbestosis.
Eighty percent of these deaths occur in men after exposure to substances such as chemical fumes, asbestos, diesel fumes, dusts, solvents and environmental tobacco smoke.
Other factors influencing the number and extent of workplace diseases and injuries include shift work, which has been associated with a range of work-related disorders such as sleep disturbance, peptic ulcers, heart disease and psychological and relationship disorders.
Another is job strain through excessive workload, unreasonable management styles, professional conflict and lack of job security. These can lead to disorders such as anxiety and depression and even suicide.
Noise is another factor, with consequent effects such as hearing loss, sleep disturbance, hypertension and psychological symptoms.
The report covers information like this in detail, though the figures it presents are estimates based on a combination of overseas data and New Zealand data.
This highlights the lack of information specifically relating to occupational exposures in New Zealand. What little information is available is rarely comprehensive – and this is a major concern, given the problems raised by diseases that take a long time to develop and that comprise many work-related diseases in this country.
It’s a fact that our government agencies simply don’t know how many people die from work-related causes each year. This is unacceptable, as we can only develop effective strategies for preventing work-related deaths if we know how many there are and of what type, and can monitor changes over time.
This report represents an important starting point for developing that much-needed evidence base.
UK experience
Some of the issues New Zealand faces are parallel to overseas experience. A report by the UK House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee in July this year noted five challenges in relation to the occupational health work of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
ØInadequacies in the data on the extent and nature of occupational ill-health.
ØThe need to tackle emerging risks such as those associated with passive smoking and occupational stress.
ØReductions in the government agency’s in-house expertise in occupational ill-health, thus raising questions about its capacity to show leadership on the issue.
ØLack of proactive enforcement action with regard to occupational health issues.
ØInadequate resourcing for occupational health work.
This report noted that health issues are more difficult than safety issues to deal with through legislation or compliance action. Partly as a result of this, the European Union is exploring the use of non-regulatory mechanisms as a means of making progress on workplace health and safety in the future.
Non-regulatory mechanisms include awareness raising and social dialogue, voluntary partnership agreements, development of health and safety skills, financial incentives and procurement policies.
These are exactly the type of initiatives that New Zealand needs to take to address our own occupational health issues. I am sure that the work of NOHSAC, by showing the heavy toll exacted by occupational ill health, will help motivate all sectors of society to address workplace health issues more effectively.
The Government in general, and the Department of Labour in particular, will be leading this move to more effectively address the issue of occupational health.
Workplace Health and Safety Strategy
One way that the government will address these matters is to focus New Zealand’s collective efforts more strategically. The Workplace Health and Safety Strategy for New Zealand to 2015 provides a common vision for everyone with an interest in the wellbeing of workers: from occupational health and safety specialists, to government agencies, employers and unions.

A draft of the strategy, which is now undergoing public consultation, includes the long-term goals of developing stronger:
ØWorkplace quality culture
ØIndustry and community engagement; and
ØGovernment leadership and practice
This strategy is part of the New Zealand Injury Prevention Strategy, released by the Government last year, and will make a valuable contribution to the broader strategy’s vision of a “safer New Zealand, becoming injury free”.
The future of occupational health
The higher profile for occupational health that will result from the work of NOHSAC is an opportunity for everyone to ensure that occupational health issues get more attention, both now and in the future.
I know that there is some unease about the current restructuring of the Department of Labour, particularly around how this might weaken the identity of OSH. I can assure you, however, that as Minister I want to see occupational health and safety services strengthened, not diminished. And I would like to see more occupational health practitioners employed in the field.
As government agencies increase the focus on – and funding for – occupational health research, they will be looking to work alongside industry leaders and specialists to undertake research and identify emerging issues.
The impact of occupational disease will never be simple to quantify, nor the responsibility easy to sheet home, but with more funding for research, and more commitment to acting on the results, New Zealand will be much better equipped to reduce the ill health caused by work.
NOHSAC will increasingly play a key role in providing an independent assessment of the measures that will deliver the greatest benefit for the prevention of occupational injury and disease.
A second research project is already underway. NOHSAC has commissioned a thorough and critical review of the methods and systems we use to measure and monitor occupational disease and injury in New Zealand.
The report will be another valuable resource, providing us with important information for developing effective policies and practices for workplace health and safety.
Meanwhile, I while be discussing the committee’s recommendations with the Department of Labour and stakeholders, and will be giving each of them careful consideration.
Some of the recommendations have, in effect, already been taken on board in varying degrees. Looking at the call for an increased focus on occupational diseases such as cancer, respiratory disease, musculoskeletal disease and fatigue, for example - these are all targeted through the priorities in the draft Workplace Health and Safety Strategy and in OSH’s current business plan.
The need to give surveillance priority is also acknowledged. Work has already started on looking at ways to improve the Notifiable Occupational Disease System, but I am aware much more needs to be done.
The report will be reviewed in three years’ time to ensure we continue to work with relevant, up-to-date information. This will also enable us to start tracking the performance of occupational health and safety in New Zealand – an important barometer of our progress in improving the currently alarming illness and injury statistics, and delivering the best possible workplace experience for all New Zealanders.

So once again I congratulate NOHSAC on this report. As well as providing valuable information for Government, it will also be a valuable resource for businesses, unions, occupational health practitioners and researchers alike.
It is a timely publication that reminds us all that work-related diseases and injuries are exacting too great a toll on New Zealand workers, their families, their employers and the country as a whole.
It’s time for us all to recognise and act on this – as individuals, as employers as organisations and as government – to eliminate every hazard we can to keep our workers and our workplaces safe, healthy and productive.