AIDE MEMOIRE
WorkSafe’s approach to COVID-19 vaccinations for its own workers
Date:
29 September 2021
Tracker #:
21/00830
Security:
In Confidence
ACTION SOUGHT
Minister
Action sought
Deadline
Hon Michael Wood
Note the attached information
N/A
Minister for
Workplace Relations
and Safety
CONTACT INFORMATION
Name
Position
Telephone
Contact
Rhys Beddow
Manager- Health, Safety &
DDI
Cell:
Wellbeing
9(2)(a)
Catherine Epps
Exec Lead COVID-19
DDI
Cell:
−
9(2)(a)
CONSULTATION
N/A
under the Official Information Act 1982
Minister’s Comments:
Released
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
WorkSafe NZ has been asked to provide a briefing on the vaccination rates of its frontline
workers.
WORKSAFE’S APPROACH AND PHILOSOPHY ON VACCINATING OUR WORKERS
1.
WorkSafe is not subject to the border environment requirements, meaning our workers
did not feature in priority groups 1 or 2.
2.
WorkSafe has advocated and encouraged our people to be vaccinated. We have adopted
the Public Service Commission’s guidance around paid time off to attend appointments
and special paid leave for those who feel ill from side effects.
3.
Internal risk assessments to date have established that our approach during Alert Le
1982 vels
4 and 3 (while there is known community transmission) is sufficient to not ‘require’
vaccinations as a safety critical control. This will likely change if/when public health
Act
measures are dropped and the borders re-open.
THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR FRONTLINE STAFF WHO ARE VACCINATED AT PRESENT
4.
WorkSafe have no grounds to require workers to inform us of their vaccination status,
although we have set up a voluntary register for workers to inform us. Actual vaccination
rates may be higher.
Information
5.
WorkSafe’s total headcount is approximately 700. As at 27 September 2021:
a
330 workers (47%) have informed us that they have received their first dose.
b
Of those 330, 175 workers (25% of total headcount) have informed us that they
Official
have also received their second dose.
the
6.
These figures are for all workers. Due to the way we capture vaccination status, we have
not captured whether they are deemed ‘frontline’ or not.
7.
At a recent all-staff webinar we asked attendees, anonymously through a poll, what their
under
vaccination status was. Of the 365 responders, 98% indicated that they were either fully,
partially or booked in to be vaccinated.
Released
WorkSafe New Zealand – Aide Memoire: WorkSafe’s approach to COVID-19 vaccinations for its own workers
In Confidence
1