Work safe

We should be coming home from work to our whānau, safe and well.

Yet New Zealand has a fatality rate double that of Australia: on average one or two workers die a week at work. Another 15-18 die from illness caused by their work, and a recent study showed that workplace deaths and injuries are costing the economy $4.4 billion a year.

WorkSafe is the agency that's working to help us come home safe. They assess health and safety practices, investigate fatalities and serious injuries, and review and resolve health and safety issues.

But cuts are putting WorkSafe's ability to do all this at risk. The agency's overall staff numbers have been cut to 113.

With proper resourcing and funding, WorkSafe’s employees could collaborate better with workers and businesses to develop tools and guidance for keeping safe at work.