October 2024

A word from the editor

Tēnā koutou katoa

Welcome to our Spring Newsletter for 2024.

Please send any information or news that you would like included in the next edition to  gwandkg@gmail.com, news@hfesnz.org.nz or admin@hfesnz.org.nz

Ngā mihi nui

Karen Goodfellow, HFESNZ Editor

A word from the Chairperson

Hi folks,

The last few months have been extremely busy for our members. Great to see HFESNZ representation at several high-profile events such as the IEA congress in South Korea, HFESNZ 1-day conference in Wellington, and the HASANZ conference in Wellington. 

IEA Triennial Congress in South Korea

The 22^nd Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) was held in Jeju Island, South Korea Aug 25-29. The event attracted over 1600 delegates, 200 presentations, and represented by 63 countries over the 5-day period.

• We had a solid HFESNZ contingent consisting of Fiona Trevelyan, Chris Polaczuk, Dan Nathan-Roberts, Alaska White and me.
  • Chris and I presented our work with CHASNZ during the Building and Construction session. Our presentation entitled “Breaking the 'Macho' Mold: Advancing Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention in Construction with 'Work Should Not Hurt'.
  • Fiona successfully delivered her presentation entitled “A collaborative HFE postgraduate education programme: promoting cohesion and consistency” during the Children/Training/Education session.
• Prior to the conference, I attended the IEA Council meeting as HFESNZ IEA council rep. The meeting reported on the work done by IEA from the last 3 years across the 35 committees and sub-committees. A new IEA executive committee was sworn in consisting of Professors Andrew Thatcher (President), Nancy Black (Vice-President) and Thomas Alexander (Treasurer).
• I enjoyed the opportunity to rub shoulders with some influential people in IEA who had wonderful things to say about HFESNZ and my predecessors (Marion, Sue, Hamish, Dave, and Stephen). I was so proud when delegates spoke highly of our work in New Zealand, especially our PAB certification system, research quality, and dedicated service to various IEA committees. Its proof while small in numbers, we more than hold our own on the international stage!
• Overall, it was a very successful conference for HFESNZ. Of our 5 HFESNZ representatives we returned home with 2 international awards and 3 new IEA postings!
  • Fiona Trevelyan (on behalf of herself and Liz Ashby) received the IEA Tsinghua Award for Collaborative Human Factors and Ergonomics Education for 2023. I was fortunate to receive the IEA Kingfar Award for early career HFE for 2023. A big thank you to HFESNZ especially Vanessa Beanland, Hamish Mackie, Stephen Legg for supporting our submissions (and our referees).
• Chris Polaczuk is the new Co-Chair of the IEA Building and Construction technical committee. The first New Zealander and practitioner on this panel.
• Fiona is our newest member on the IEA Healthcare technical committee.
• I will serve on the IEA Professional Standards and Education committee as Co-Chair of the Certification sub-committee (a role previously served by Marion Edwin and Stephen Legg).
• I fully encourage all HFESNZ members to consider joining an IEA technical committee. While its volunteer-based, it will open a world of opportunity and networking while also helping to raise HFESNZs profile.

(See the IEA section below for photos)

HFESNZ 1-day conference

• Our 1-day conference held at the St Andrews Centre in Wellington on Sep 18, 2024, was a wonderful success. The event consisted of 28 delegates who witnessed 10 amazing presentations. The theme was collaboration and connection.
• The day began with a beautiful karakia from Cory Matulino (thanks Cory) and opening address from the Chair.
• The topics covered WRMSDs, injury prevention, expert witness, wellbeing, HFE tools and assessments, and fatigue. All presentations were delivered with great passion, humour, and a sense of duty to HFE. It was great to see.
• It was great to see our members again, even better, we were introduced to new or potential HFESNZ members and returning members. A lot of new networks were formed. The venue had real character which contributed the events friendly, and very family-like atmosphere.
• A crowd favourite was Cory’s Te Reo bingo activity and Dave and Fiona’s workshop on the next focus of HFE. Both were very informative and added a sense of competitiveness and collaboration to the event.
• Some key takeaways or feedback from the conference were:
  • With all the amazing HFE research in NZ, the organizers highly recommend that members submit their research to the New Zealand Journal of Health and Safety Practice. Please see Chris Peace and Joanne Crawford for more information. It’s a wonderful way to showcase our projects and hard work.
  • Delegates were extremely happy with the low conference fee, that together with the quality of presentation showed excellent cost-benefit for attendance.
  • Feedback from students showed that the event was very beneficial for opening their eyes (and minds) to HFE. As such, HFESNZ should look at more ways to increase student participation both for their careers, and for the future of the society.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the organizing committee led by Joanne Crawford and Nic Green. You did a marvellous job, all on top of your already busy schedules. It is much appreciated thank you.

HASANZ Conference

• The 2024 HASANZ Conference was held at the Takina Wellington Convention Centre on September 18 - 20, 2024. The theme for this year’s event was collaboration, competence, and champion.
• There were approximately 300 delegates with 26 presentations over two days.
• The event was officially opened at the Welcome function at Parliament where the Hon Brooke van Velden delivered the opening address.
• This year’s conference was noticeably lower in attendance compared to previous years. However, those that did attend enjoyed the variety of topics on offer.
• HFESNZ members were well represented amongst the presentations. They were:
  • Joanne Crawford - Harnessing evidence and knowledge to move into practice.
  • Margaret Van Schaik - Police critical risk programme and WISE Empowering women in the health and safety profession
  • Chris Polaczuk & Stephven Kolose - Collaboration, the secret sauce to advancing Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention in Construction with 'Work Should Not Hurt.'
  • Chris Peace - A risk assessment identification key to aid assessor competence.
• Joanne did a marvellous job of representing HFESNZ at the event taking the stage to present some of our society highlights on Day 1.
• The conference dinner was hosted at the Wharewaka convention centre. Highlights included a moving tribute for the late Derek Miller and an entertaining and hilarious magic show by the nights MC.
• Unfortunately, HFESNZ did not have stand at this year’s event due to planning conflicts and availability. We endeavour to have a presence at next year’s event.

Committee Meeting

We held a regular committee meeting online on October 1^st. Some of the key discussion points are highlighted below.

• Leanne Hunter (PAB Convener) provided an update on PAB activities to date especially on the recent membership changes, and an update on CPD and re-certification. It is highly recommended that all members are up to speed with the newest re-certification criteria.
• The conference events mentioned above was a huge success both internationally and locally. Members provided a summary and their thoughts on the events and how we can best plan for future events.
• We discussed the need, or increasing awareness, for HFESNZ members (of professional membership levels) to join the HASANZ register.

Actions

1. As stated previously at the AGM, we urgently require nominations for the executive positions of Secretary and Chair, as well as general committee members. We have received a few names so far which is great, but the more options we have the better.

We need people who have the right mix of passion, a ‘doer’ work ethic, can attend meetings. Serving on the committee is a huge honour but I know that time commitments, especially on voluntary basis, is hard for some.  If you have the time and energy, we would love to hear from you! Whatever the role, you will be well supported from the team.

1. A reminder to those who are re-certifying please complete it as soon as you can. Don’t be afraid to reach out to PAB if you need assistance.
2. Note the urgent call for submissions for the NZ Journal of Health and Safety Practice. If there is anything you deem worthy of publication, please reach out to Chris Peace and Joanne Crawford

Steve

Membership Update

Welcome to our new members:

• Graycie Price - Fletcher Construction
• Lucinda Harding - Habit Health (formerly OK Health)
• Shweta Dewan - Katherine Mennie OT
• Amal Ariyaratnam - Auckland District Health Board
• Holly Claeys - Nessential Limited
• Briana Box - Student
• Francene Thomas - WSP
• Saravanan Dhatchana Moorthy - Student
• Kristen Gawn - KG Health & Fitness Ltd
• Dwain Allan - University of Canterbury
• Mengjie Zhang - Student

Please also note that membership renewal invoices for 2024 have been sent out. If you are not sure if you have an outstanding invoice, please email me.

If you could please get these paid in a timely manner or if you have any questions, please email me: admin@hfesnz.org.nz.

HASANZ Update

Certified HFESNZ Members: Join the HASANZ Register

The HASANZ Register has been enhanced. The Register connects businesses with qualified and competent workplace health and safety professionals throughout New Zealand. 

For professionals who meet the Registration Standard, it is now easy, fast, and free to join! 

Being listed on the HASANZ Register provides recognition and credibility, showcasing your qualifications and competence to potential employers. It is an essential tool for career advancement, helping you stand out. 

Certified Professional Members of HFESNZ are eligible to join the HASANZ Register. Applying to be on the HASANZ Register is now easy, fast, and free. Visit HASANZ Register, complete the online registration form, and upload proof that you qualify (i.e., your HFESNZ membership number and proof of your status as a Certified Professional Member). If you have your membership number and proof that you are eligible, the application should take about 5 minutes. 

https://www.hasanz.org.nz/hasanz-register/join-the-hasanz-register 

International Ergonomics Association (IEA) News

For more information and to register, click here

HFESNZ Delegates and Presentations

IEA Awards: Stephven and Fiona

IEA Council, HFESNZHFESA (NZ/AUS) Contingent and IEA Delegates

General News

Masterclass in Managing Workplace Psychosocial Risk

Encompassing issues like bullying, lack of workplace autonomy and high workloads, psychosocial risk can severely impact upon workplace wellbeing, morale, and productivity. It's a risk that need needs to be managed - but where to start?

NZISM has collaborated with Umbrella Wellbeing to develop a 2-part Masterclass in Managing Workplace Psychosocial Risk which will be taking place in 14 locations over October-November.  Umbrella's experienced clinical psychologists will be providing tools, knowledge and support to help participants develop a tailored risk assessment plan based on ISO45003 that they can take back and implement in their own organisation. A second (online) workshop will follow to troubleshoot and plan next steps.

Find out more:

https://www.nzism.org/psychosocial-risk-roadshow-2024/

From the team at WorkSafe

WorkSafe’s new resources - Manual tasks screening and risk assessment tools 

WorkSafe’s HFE team has been working to develop a suite of New Zealand manual task screening and risk assessment tools. Following research on the assessment tools available internationally, a suite of resources from the United Kingdom was selected to extend and update WorkSafe guidance.  The first set of tools are for manual task screening, the assessment of manual handling risks (lifting and lowering, carrying, team handling), and identifying musculoskeletal harm contributing factors.  These tools have now been adapted for New Zealand use, and are published at Manual tasks screening tools and risk assessments | WorkSafe  

Tools for assessing repetitive upper limb activities and pushing and pulling tasks are in development.  More information on musculoskeletal disorders is at Musculoskeletal disorders | WorkSafe

Click here for more information on the Tasks Screening Tools and Risk Assessments

We selected the suite of tools developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the United Kingdom (UK). The selection was made after researching manual task risk assessments that met our selection criteria and covered a range of contributing factors associated with the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. You can read the research report here: Report: Review of hazardous manual task risk assessments | WorkSafe 

We are now working on the development of tools for assessing: 

• repetitive upper limb activities 
• pushing and pulling tasks.  

And will continue to build training resources to support the effective use of all the tools for musculoskeletal risk management. 

Marion Edwin, Leanne Hunter, and Cory Matulino

Human Factors/Ergonomics Team, WorkSafe New Zealand

Email marion.edwin@worksafe.govt.nz

In celebration of CIEHF’s 75th anniversary this year, there is a Think Human exhibition. It aims to bring together people, products, places and procedures to celebrate a world that's designed to be both safe and productive, comfortable and enjoyable.

In partnership with Loughborough University and Derby’s Museum of Making, Think Human tells the story of how ergonomics has shaped the world. It includes how ergonomics has helped Britain win Olympic gold medals, how it helps us navigate railway stations, and how it helps to deliver the latest cancer treatment. It celebrates the people behind the products and encourages visitors to be the next generation of ergonomists.

The exhibition is being held at Derby's Museum of Making from Friday 27 September to Sunday, 22 December 2024.

Lots of other good HFE stories from the CIEHF on the think link