Better incidence reporting to protect workers

New Zealand's OHS regulator is urging GPs to improve their reporting of work-related diseases and injuries to prevent co-workers from the same conditions.

The Department of Labour last week released two reports into occupationally-induced illness: Reports on the Notifiable Occupational Disease System (NODS) 2000-05 and Asbestos Exposure in New Zealand 1992-2005.

Chief advisor for occupational health, Gereint Emrys said while notifications to the NODS and asbestos registers were voluntary, the value of reporting was high.

"Notifying the Department of a health problem that may have been caused by work protects not only an individual's health, but also that of their workmates who may be being harmed by the same workplace exposure," he said.

Dr Emrys believed that few GPs currently inform patients about the NODS reporting system. By registering their condition with the department, people gave consent for an investigation to be conducted.

The asbestos report showed the number of people registering an asbestos-related condition was continuing to rise, but that the occupation of sufferers was changing.

Dr Emrys also suggested there is an under-reporting of lung cancers associated with asbestos because GPs are automatically linking a person's smoking habits with the cancer, and excluding any asbestos-related history.

Carpenters, plumbers and electricians were collectively responsible for almost 66% of the asbestos-related cases reported to the department in the past 13 years. Previously, manufacturing workers were the group most at risk.

The two reports are available at www.osh.dol.govt.nz.