Health & Safety Challenges in 2022

Codewords 107: June 2022

As we are all aware, the last twelve months have been very challenging for all sectors of our economy. The combination of the mandates around the various Covid iterations and the impact on all sectors of the construction workplace has been very significant.

This has meant that the health element of the regulations has an equally significant consideration to a construction entities operation if it wasn’t prior. It is important that this focus is a key part of the Licensed Building Practitioners toolbox meetings. This element has been part of the legislation for many years, it has however, often been side-lined over the focus on Safety on site.

Even as the make up the sector changes in a gender sense, there remains a very blokie culture evident in many areas of our sector. The idea that it is a sign of weakness to ask for help, when one is struggling to mentally cope with the circumstances that are outside of their control, still prevails with many.

Whether it’s staff shortages, consent delays, isolations, cash flow issues, cost rises, product shortages or transit delays, there isn’t a party in the sector who has not been impacted by many of these elements. The personal circumstances of many has resulted in one of the most challenging times in our history in respect to wellbeing.

I believe that it is not a sign of weakness to ask for help, whether it’s a colleague, friend, or professional adviser, it’s a sign of wisdom and strength. Giving your team and yourself permission to acknowledge that the current environment has impacted our sense of wellness and wellbeing needs to be front and centre of these discussions.

There are several organisations doing great work in this area, with the aim of supporting the construction sector to address these matters and show that it is “ok to not be ok.” Within the toolbox space we need to see a culture that reminds us to look out for our mates, at work, in the community as well as our families. Many of the sector’s associations provide resources to their members that help in managing this critical element of our workplace.

WorkSafe has several documents available to you for downloading, to assist starting these conversations, including:

• Starting the conversation about mental health.
• Mental health when working from home, for PCBUs.
• Improving Work-Related Health: Mentally Healthy Work.
• Resources for maintaining mentally healthy work during COVID-19.

WorkSafe documents(external link) — WorkSafe New Zealand

The industry has also been very proactive thru the Mates in Construction program, both here and in Australia. Taking responsibility for our industry’s needs sends a strong signal that this really does matter. Again, there are some excellent resources available that allow you to start a direct conversation, which to many is a challenging thing to do.

Many industry partners are also providing space for these key messages to be delivered to you and your team.

Taking these steps is not, for want of a better term, “woke”. There have been case studies that show a focus on health and wellbeing from an employer or PCBU, leads to lower injury rates, thus less lost productivity as a result. Knowing that their wellbeing matters to the business makes a difference to how they approach their roles and those in a leadership position.

The key message to be remembered is that “it’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, it is in fact a sign of Wisdom”. Help is available - you only have to put your hand up and ask.

By Brian Miller – Chairman, Master Brick and Blocklayers NZ.

Quiz

1. What present-day issues can have an impact on our mental wellbeing?
   1. Staff shortages
   2. Isolations
   3. Cost rises
   4. product shortages and transit delays
   5. All the above
2. Is it a sign of weakness to ask for help?
   1. Never
   2. Sometimes
   3. Only in front of your workmates
3. Where can you find resources to assist in starting these conversations?
   1. Worksafe
   2. Mates in Construction
   3. Many industry partners
   4. All the above