NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (NOHSAC)

Minutes of Inaugural Meeting

Wednesday 27 August 2003, 9:30am to 3:30pm

Local Government Building

Level 9, 114-118 Lambton Quay, Wellington

ATTENDEES

Present:

In attendance:

Apologies:

Neil Pearce (NOHSAC Chair), Evan Dryson, Anne-Marie Feyer, Phillipa Gander, Selwyn McCracken.

Carol Slappendel (NOHSAC Secretariat – Department of Labour), Julie David (NOHSAC Secretariat – Department of Labour), James Buwalda (Secretary of Labour - first hour only), Hon Margaret Wilson (Minister of Labour – first hour only), Tania Ott (Private Secretary – Labour).

None.

Minuted by

Carol Slappendel and Julie David, Department of Labour

Next Meetings:

October and December 2003, dates yet to be determined.

NOTES & ACTIONS

TOPICS

DESCRIPTION
RESPONSI-BLE
TARGET DATE

2.Opening Address

Action 1:

• Hon Margaret Wilson, Minister of Labour opened the inaugural meeting of the National Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Committee (NOHSAC - hereafter called the Committee). The Minister acknowledged the need for the Committee to provide an overview of the burden of occupational injury and illness in New Zealand, with a strong focus on occupational health.

• As a former academic herself, she is very interested in research-led policy. She expects the Committee to establish a work programme and budget by year-end and provide valuable advice for future OHS policy/programme development.

• She requested the Committee to consider the Hazardous Substances Inquiry Report recommendations.

• She intends to use the Committee actively and wants to meet regularly with the Committee.

• NOHSAC Secretariat (hereafter called the Secretariat) is to ensure that the Minister of Labour is invited to meet formally or informally with the Committee at the time of each meeting.

Secretariat

Prior to each meeting

2.De-briefing

Action 2:

• NOHSAC Chair (hereafter called the Chair) and committee members discussed and agreed with the Minister’s expectations, as set out in her opening address.

• An important area of concern raised by the Chair is the likely size of the research budget for this year and next year, in order to support the work of the Committee.

• James Buwalda, Secretary of Labour, indicated that DOL is already putting a package/budget bid together in order to address the research needs of the Committee, and of occupational health research more generally.

• The Secretariat is to finalise the budget bid before the end of this year.

• A few additional comments were made by the Chair, including the importance of using the National Health Committee (hereafter called NHC) as a model for the Committee (NOHSAC), particularly the importance of considering the big picture and to have a long-term strategy rather than focusing on short-term issues.

• A wide range of ideas were then exchanged amongst committee members, including the:
1. the need to establish a structure to communicate with stakeholders;
2. issues of OSH planning/surveillance versus publications/access to information;
3. issues of prevention versus enforcement;
4. issues of bottom-up versus top-down approaches to OHS;
5. the interface between shop floor, managers and researchers – employee participation & duty of care.

Secretariat

Dec 03

3.Committee

operation

Action 3:

Action 4:

Action 5:

Action 6:

Action 7:

Action 8:

Action 9:

Action 10:

Action 11:

• The Maori name for the Committee to represent “NOHSAC”, was translated by the Māori Language Commission as “Komiti Tohutohu Mahi A-Motu Hauora”. This name was proposed by the Secretariat and discussed by the Committee.

• The Committee agreed to adopt the name proposed by the Māori Language Commission, but the Secretariat is to explore the possibility of a shorter version of the Māori name for use when this is appropriate.

• Balloting of members – was decided by each member selecting a slip of paper (inscribed with either 2 years or 3 years) at random from a cup in which the papers were deposited. The results are as follows:
a. Two (2) years – Evan Dryson & Phillipa Gander
b. Three (3) years – Anne-Marie Feyer & Selwyn McCracken

• The role of the Secretariat and its relationship to the Committee was discussed. The Committee agreed that the presence of the Secretariat is needed at committee meetings, but that an “off record discussion” without the presence of the Secretariat may be required from time to time, at the discretion of the Chair. Such a discussion should be scheduled at each meeting after the morning tea break.

• The proposed Terms of Reference (TOR) were endorsed subject to the following minor changes:
a. Add quorum of three (3) members under 6. Committee Process;
b. Change the word “Conflicts” to “Declaration” under 8.

• The draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was endorsed subject to the following minor change:
a. To transfer 9.3 under 3.3 to reflect the “Terms and Conditions of Appointment of NOHSAC Members”.

• The Secretariat is to explore tele- and video-conferencing arrangements for those committee members who occasionally cannot attend meetings.

• The final TOR and revised MOU are to be forwarded to committee members when finalized, together with the minutes of the meeting.

• Anne-Marie Feyer indicated the need for the Committee to have performance indicators to address the “Role of NOHSAC” as stated in the draft MOU, that is to ‘…add value and effect changes in occupational health and safety in New Zealand’.

• Anne-Marie Feyer is to explore possible qualitative performance indicators for the Committee for consideration at the next meeting.
• The Committee discussed the need to develop a communication strategy to reach all the parties that need to know about the Committee.

• The Secretariat is to develop a communication strategy for the December NOHSAC meeting.

• The Secretariat advised that the current budget for the Committee is $162,000 inclusive of GST. This budget is to cover Secretariat support comprising 1.5 FTE (O.5 Administrative Assistant & 1 FT Project Manager).

• Due to delays in recruiting Secretariat staff some savings will be made this financial year. The Secretariat advised the Committee that funds would be available from the Committee budget and other Department of Labour cost centres to cover the cost of an initial overview report which has been estimated to be $60-80,000.

• The Committee decided to invite the following people to meet with the Committee for the first hour of upcoming meetings, based on their availability:

Priority 1: Bob Hill – OSH – October

Priority 2: James Buwalda – DOL – December

Priority 3: Ross Wilson – CTU – February

Priority 4: A representative of Business NZ – April

Priority 5: Paul Brown – Statistics NZ and/or

Ray Delaney – NZHIS – June.

• The Secretariat is to invite one of the above guest speakers to each meeting, according to their availability.

• The Secretariat is to email the committee members possible dates for future meetings and seek their availability.

• The Committee discussed the NHC publication process and agreed that committee members should act as sponsors for the various projects.

• The Committee agreed that the Project Manager employed by the Department of Labour as part of the Secretariat, should have the skill to review and summarise technical reports.

• The Secretariat is to ensure that the job description for the Project Manager includes the above skills.

• The Secretariat is to advise on methods for reimbursing members who undertake significant report writing activity on behalf of the Committee. The Secretariat will seek information from NHC on their standard practices.

Secretariat

Secretariat

Secretariat

A-M Feyer

Secretariat

Secretariat

Secretariat

Secretariat

Secretariat

Dec 03

Oct 03

Sept 03

Oct 03

Dec 03

Prior to each meeting

Sep 03

Sept 03

Oct 03

4. Research

Agenda

Action 12:

Action 13:

Action 14:

Action 15:

Action 16:

Action 17:

• The Committee agreed to the following research agenda:

1. Overview of the Burden of Disease (including injury and ill-health)

Identifying the gaps in the form of a literature review.

Produce report by end of June 2004.

Repeat every three years as standard report/monitoring tool.

Include policy recommendations.

2. Special Reports on more detailed issues such as:
a. Surveillance of occupational disease and injury.
b. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
c. Management of hazardous substances.
d. Unusual or irregular hours of work.
e. Occupational injury.

3. Other advice

Submissions on key documents/reports.

Verbal advice/letters.

Advice on research priorities.

• The Committee agreed that the “burden of occupational disease and injury” project will involve the preparation of a detailed technical report which reviews the current literature and incorporates the following chapters:

1. Executive Summary.
2. Introduction.
3. Exposures.
4. Diseases/injuries.
5. Social and Economic Costs.
6. Surveillance/Research needs.
7. Reducing the burden of disease and injury (implications for prevention strategies).
8. Recommendations.
Appendix 1: Quantification of the burden.

• It was agreed that preparation of chapters 1-8 should be commissioned. The Centre for Public Health Research could provide the technical appendix as work on estimates is already in progress, but the arrangements for this (including any payment) need to first be explored by the Secretariat.

• The RFP should require the provider to provide an executive summary for each chapter. This will provide a basis for the development of a lay report.

• The Committee agreed that the RFP should cover the following issues:

1. Review of international and New Zealand literature.
2. Special attention to Māori/Pacific workers & other ‘groups at risk’.
3. Ask providers to note & highlight data limitations.
4. The report needs to highlight knowledge gaps as well as what is known.
5. The introduction needs to provide positive context for the report including the changing nature of work, and the potential social and economic benefits of addressing the burden of occupational disease and injury.
6. The report should look to the future as well as assessing the burden of disease and injury from past and current exposures.

• The Committee wishes to have this project commissioned before the next meeting. Possible providers were discussed and noted.

The Secretariat is to finalize the RFP in consultation with the Chair and seek proposals from appropriate providers.

Anne-Marie Feyer is to provide the Secretariat with contact details for Tim Driscoll and James Leigh.

The Secretariat was asked to provide new and important publications to the Committee (i.e. an environmental scanning function.)

Neil Pearce is to write to the Director of NZHIS (with copies to the Ministers of Health and Labour) regarding the recording and coding of occupation on the National Minimum Dataset.

The Committee members are to send papers on this issue (action 16) to Neil Pearce.

Anne-Marie Feyer is to seek information from Tim Driscoll regarding the automatic coding of the occupation free-text field.

Secretariat

A-M Feyer

Secretariat

Neil Pearce

Members

A-M Feyer

Oct 03

Sept 03

Ongoing

Oct 03

Sept 03

Oct 03