New Zealand workers are now 15 times more likely to die from a work-related disease than from a workplace accident, according to new information from WorkSafe NZ.

The regulatory body has released updated data in which it estimates 750-900 workers die each year from work-related ill health, and approximately 5,000-6,000 workers are hospitalised.

By law, businesses must manage both the health and safety risks caused by their work, and WorkSafe has urged organisations to take workplace health concerns seriously.

“Every year, many thousands of people develop serious health conditions because of health risks associated with their work. In fact, the burden on workers, their families and the wider economy from work-related ill-health far outweighs the burden from work-related injuries.”

As part of ongoing research, WorkSafe has also been working to measure the quality and length of life lost to injuries and illness, using work-related health estimates and burden of harm estimates.

This measure is called disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost and puts a value to the burden of harm from work-related ill-health and injury.

It is used to determine which diseases account for the most ill-health. It also enables comparison between work-related acute injuries and work-related ill-health, and enables comparison between diseases with different harm profiles.

The calculations show that acute injuries (including fatalities) account for 11 per cent of annual work-related disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) lost. Musculoskeletal harm accounts for 27 per cent, mental health harm 17 per cent, cancers 16 per cent, and respiratory harm 14 per cent.

WorkSafe has calculated that 50,000 work-related DALYs are lost annually, which translates into a social cost of at least $2 billion each year.

Burden of harm estimates from work-related injury and ill-health

Burden of harm estimates from work-related injury and ill-health