Loss of postgraduate OHS teaching at Victoria University

Victoria University of Wellington has a $33 million hole in its budget. As a result, the university is consulting on disestablishing more than 250 jobs across the university. On 20 June I was told this includes two in workplace health and safety.

If you think that postgraduate education of occupational health and safety generalists and research is important for our profession read on!

Jobs in other universities are also “under review” and add up to the equivalent of shutting down one New Zealand university – ignoring that we are part of the engines of research and future wealth!

The background

The Pike River mine disaster in 2010 killed 29 men. New Zealand responded to that tragedy by changing the legislation to the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and established WorkSafe NZ as a modern regulator so that both were fit-for-purpose for the 21st century. As part of the changes WorkSafe funded the appointment of Professor Joanne Crawford as the Chair in Workplace Health and Safety at Victoria University of Wellington, leading to development of the Master of Health in workplace health and safety at Victoria University and the appointment of Danae Anderson and me.

Deaths and injuries continue

Despite the changes to the law and regulator, since 2010 there have been:

·??????more than 10,000 deaths of men, women and (sometimes) children who have died at or because of work

·??????nearly half a million people so injured at work that they had to take a week or more off work

·??????$6,725 billion dollars of ACC compensation costs 2015-2022

·??????unknown indirect costs of deaths and injuries to whānau and employers (we can guess at the grief, pain and lifetime economic disadvantage).

WorkSafe can provide some leadership, but New Zealand needs competent health and safety practitioners and professionals working within businesses or consulting to them to help make change. Part of that competence will be gained by tertiary and postgraduate education in health and safety. This will help fulfil the recommendations in the 2013 Independent Taskforce report about health and safety training and education.

Effects of the cuts in universities and loss of the Master of Health

Think about the effects of the cuts on the future tertiary education of your children, grandchildren, workers, and others! Think also about loss of the Master of Health in Workplace Health and Safety when we have barely begun the programme after the pandemic.

What you can do to help

If you don’t like the planned cuts and their effect on tertiary health and safety training here’s what you can do.

·??????Sign the online Tertiary Education Union petition today.

·??????Thinking about enrolling with us for the Master of Health? Enrol before the end of June! This will be a strong signal to the Vice Chancellor; (more information here).

·??????Using the above, write a letter about New Zealand’s poor health and safety performance; send it to your MP (email addresses here) and other election candidates. Quote the numbers of deaths, injuries and dollars, and emphasise the need for postgraduate education in health and safety.

·??????Send a copy of your letter to the Minister of Workplace Safety and to the Minister of Education (addresses here). Remind your MP and the Ministers this is an election year.

·??????If you are a member of the New Zealand Institute for Safety Management or New Zealand Safety Council send similar letters from your branch to the Ministers and your local MPs.

·??????Write to the Victoria University Vice Chancellor ([email protected]) expressing support for continued postgraduate OHS teaching at VUW.

·??????Repost this on LinkedIn so we get maximum support.

Please help ensure the future of tertiary health and safety education in New Zealand!