Liz Ashby

Investigating risk factors for slips, trips and falls in New Zealand residential construction using incident-centred and incident-independent methods

Slip, trip and fall (STF) incidents, particularly falls from a height, are a leading cause of injury in the New Zealand residential construction industry. The most common origins of falls from a height in this sector are ladders, scaffolding and roofs, while slipping is the most frequent fall initiating event category. The study aimed to provide detailed information on construction industry STF risk factors for high-risk tasks, work equipment and environments, as identified from an earlier analysis of STF claims data, together with information to be used in the development of interventions to reduce STF risk in New Zealand residential construction. The study involved the use of both incident-centred and incident-independent methods of investigation, including detailed follow-up investigations of incidents and observations and interviews with workers on construction sites, to provide data on a wide range of risk factors. A large number of risk factors for residential construction STFs were identified, including factors related to the work environment, tasks and the use and availability of appropriate height work equipment. The different methods of investigation produced complementary information on factors related to equipment design and work organization, which underlie some of the site conditions and work practices identified as key risk factors for residential construction STFs. A conceptual systems model of residential construction STF risk is presented.

The role of the New Zealand forest industry injury surveillance system in a strategic Ergonomics, Safety and Health Research Programme

Forestry is among the most hazardous of all industry sectors internationally. In New Zealand, highest work-related morbidity and mortality incidence rates are found in the logging sector. The New Zealand Forest Industry Accident Reporting Scheme (ARS) is a forestry injury surveillance system maintained by the Centre for Human Factors and Ergonomics (COHFE). The paper highlights the pivotal role of an industry-wide injury surveillance system in an industry-specific strategic research programme, giving examples of the use of ARS data in identification of priority areas for ergonomics, safety and health research attention, for safety awareness feedback to the industry, and in the evaluation of injury countermeasures. An analysis of injury patterns and trends for one high-risk forestry operation (skid work) is presented to illustrate both the capabilities and limitations of the ARS in its present stage of development.

Investigating slips, trips and falls in the New Zealand dairy farming sector

The paper presents findings from 39 detailed follow-up investigations of slips, trips and falls (STF) incurred by individuals working in New Zealands dairy farming industry. The study sought to identify the key contributory risk factors for STF in this sector to provide evidence to support intervention design, and to determine the effectiveness of the investigative methodology used to achieve these objectives. Findings from the follow-up investigations included an analysis of factors related to the underfoot surface, underfoot hazard and footwear. Of note here was the propensity for STF-involved workers to not see or identify an underfoot hazard due to concurrent visual task distractions, and for workers to use footwear that both lacked effective tread and was unsuitable for the task and underfoot surface. Key latent risk factors and their interactions identified included problems associated with time pressure and related time-saving behaviours and the presence of design errors that, for example, required workers to climb onto equipment to view aspects of the task they were working on. The paper concludes that the potential resource and logistical problems associated with conducting detailed STF investigations are outweighed by the opportunity to collect rich data on key risk factors and their interactions in STF research.

Fluid Intake and Hydration Status of Forest Workers -- A Preliminary Investigation

Abstract Dehydration and its milder form hypohydration have both short term and long term health effects. In the short term poor, body hydration impairs cognitive performance, physical strength and aerobic power, rendering the worker prone to injury and heat illness. In the long term the potential consequences of hypohydration are kidney stones and bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate hydration status of forest workers in New Zealand and their preferred fluid replacement. The specific gravity (sg) of urine was used as an indicator of body fluid status. In addition daily fluid loss was compared with a tested algorithm of sweat rate to better understand if workers are hydrating at the desired rate. The results of this preliminary study clearly demonstrate that loggers are working at sub-optimal hydration levels and are consuming inappropriate fluids to replace sweat losses. The hypohydrated state of these workers may pose both an immediate and long term health and safety risk.