Department of Labour – Health and Safety Inspectorate
Overview
The Department of Labour (DoL) provides information and guidance to assist New Zealand businesses and workers to have healthy, safe and productive workplaces. One part of that service involves Health and Safety Inspectors checking the health and safety arrangements of workplaces, investigating accidents at work, and making sure employers and employees comply with health and safety legislation. Inspectors bring a variety of backgrounds and experiences to their job. They are situated around the country, servicing different regions from rural to urban areas.
Productivity Challenge
Like many DoL staff, Health and Safety Inspectors are often required to travel to workplaces and to meet with clients. A number of issues limited the effectiveness of inspectors. Inconsistent work processes were time consuming and inefficient for both the inspector and client, contributing to low staff morale, and ultimately reduced the productivity of the Inspectors in delivering effective services to the client and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
The Productivity Achievement
Introducing new technology can appear threatening in any workplace but by ensuring the appropriate training and support was developed and provided, the Health and Safety inspectorate has improved its workplace practices, ensuring better outcomes through quality advice and service to the public.
Key Lessons:
- Engage and involve staff in the development of a project or initiative
- Develop a clear vision and set of values for the project and staff
- Identify key leaders to drive and manage a project
- Develop a clear business case and identify success factors
- Commitment to change must be shown from the organisation to support and drive the initiative
- Technology and up-skilling of staff go hand in hand – this requires holistic thinking around training and implementation
- Ensure support is in place when implementing a tool
- Ownership of the project by staff is crucial to buy-in and success
For further information on Department of Labour, please visit their website www.dol.govt.nz