Present: Professor Neil Pearce
(Chair), Professor John Langley ,
Apologies Professor Philippa Gander, Dr Evan Dryson
In attendance: Mark Wagstaffe (NOHSAC Secretariat)
Minutes: Carla Wild
1. WELCOME
The Chair welcomed everyone
to the meeting.
2. Previous Minutes and
Action Points
NOHSAC Minutes of Tuesday
19 February 2008 were reviewed and the Committee agreed that they were
a true and accurate record of the meeting with the following amendment:
Proposed: John Langley
Seconded: By email after the meeting
All action points were reviewed.
3. Evolving work environment:
Implications for Occupational Health and Safety in New Zealand, Workplace
Research Centre, University of Sydney
Following the visit to the
WRC by Philippa Gander and Mark Wagstaffe where concerns were raised,
a new draft has been received. However, the Committee felt the document
was still unsatisfactory and made the following comments:
• It still has an Australian focus.
• It is too long and wordy.
• It has no foreword on the aim of the report – no methodology or map
of where the report is heading.
• The summary at the end is incomplete.
• Chapter 10 appears to have no purpose.
• There was also discussion on items that are not included e.g. that
the workforce population is getting larger in size which will have implication
on a large range of occupations such as ambulance officers, funeral
homes etc.
Mark Wagstaffe will speak to Philippa Gander and Anne Marie Feyer regarding
the draft and having it peer reviewed and will also revisit Sydney to
discuss with WRC the items they have not covered.
Action 1: NOHSAC Secretariat to consult Philippa
Gander and Anne Marie Feyer with regard to a peer review and discuss
the draft with WRC
Responsible: Mark Wagstaffe
Target Date: 31 May 2008
4. Efficacy of Codes of Practice,
Report to the Minister of Labour
NOHSAC Secretariat to redraft
the foreword to specify the genesis and importance of the report and
demonstrate that there are some key issues that need to be addressed
to move forward. Recommendation 5 needs to be reworded to read “No code
of practice should go beyond 10 years without being reviewed for relevance”.
He will circulate the redraft by the end of the week for comment by
the Committee in another week.
Action 2: NOHSAC Secretariat to redraft Report
and circulate to the Committee.
Responsible: Mark Wagstaffe
Target Date: 9 May 2008.
Action 3: NOHSAC Committee to comment on redraft
Responsible NOHSAC Committee
Target Date 16 May 2008
5. Replacement Committee
member
The Committee discussed names of possible
members or co-op tees and agreed to look at the balance of the Committee
later in the year.
Action 4: NOHSAC Secretariat to circulate suggested names to the Committee
Responsible: Mark Wagstaffe
Target Date: 1 June 2008
6. NOHSAC Meeting Dates 2008
Tentatively set for the Museum Hotel
at 9 a.m. on:
22 July 2008
23 September 2008
18 November 2008
7. Occupational Health and
Safety in Small to Medium Enterprises
The contract from Massey has
been signed and the project is underway although the timeline has slipped
by a month or so. Mark Wagstaffe is meeting the project team again on
20 May and is following up the difficulty of ACC not providing access
to information.
Action 5: NOHSAC Secretariat to follow up ACC’s
inability to provide data
Responsible: Mark Wagstaffe
Target Date: 1 June 2008
8. RFP – Women's Occupational Health
and Safety in New Zealand
Neil Pearce left the meeting
for this discussion which took place ‘in Committee’.
9. Correspondence
The response from the Minister
of Labour to NOHSAC’s letter outlining the five priority areas for improving
occupational health and safety in New Zealand was noted.
10. Allen and Clarke - Work
related harm
The Committee met with David
Clarke to discuss the above research on the standardisation and coordination
of definitions of work related harm between organisations and how this
informs prevention. Points raised included the need for guidance in
Courts on reparation, the changes to definitions of occupational disease
and the outcomes which could be achieved from the publication of this
report. David outlined the process that will be taken and assured the
Committee he would keep them informed of all progress.
11. General Business
Conflicts of Interest
The Committee had discussed via email the issue of conflicts of interest
and whether committee members could apply in response to RFPs. This
had arisen due to correspondence from Colin Cryer who was unable to
apply to an RFP because he was in the same department as a Committee
member. It had been agreed that this sort of situation would not be
a problem as the Committee, while wanting to avoid conflicts of interest,
also wanted to ensure best possible applications and workforce development.
The Committee decided that NOHSAC members could not apply directly for
research projects with NOHSAC or be an investigator on research projects.
It was agreed that researchers working in the same departments/centres
as committee members could respond to NOHSAC Research tenders.
Action 6: NOHSAC Secretariat to circulate suggested
principle to absent Committee members.
Responsible: Mark Wagstaffe
Target Date: 9 May 2008
Meeting closed
The meeting closed at 12.45 pm on 6 May 2008
Next meeting
The next meeting will be
held on Tuesday 22 July 2008 at 9 a.m. at the Museum Hotel.
