Guest Editorial – Graeme Harris

When I was asked to write this guest editorial, I considered a number of current issues as potential topics. Initially, my thoughts turned to drones. They are a truly disruptive technology that in time will change the nature of civil aviation, and at present states around the world are all facing the challenges posed by irresponsible recreational drone users - who either don’t know about the applicable safety regulations or simply ignore them.

In the end, I decided not to go there. The issue already has a very high profile - both internationally and domestically. In NZ, the Ministry of Transport is currently leading ‘all of government’ work on what the future safety and security regulatory framework for drones will look like. 

The advice I have provided is that the current interim regulatory framework for unmanned aircraft has reached the end of its effective life and that we should move to mirror new unmanned aircraft systems legislation being introduced in the European Union. While waiting for the long-term solution, the CAA will promote another round of incremental improvements to the existing Civil Aviation Rules. 

Having decided not to deal with drones, I eventually settled on a topic that doesn’t have a fraction of the visibility or profile drones have but causes much more harm. I conducted an informal poll recently in which I asked most people who I spoke to during the day what the most hazardous occupation was in New Zealand. By far the majority of people picked either forestry, agriculture or construction. They did reasonably well because agriculture and forestry certainly appear within the top five (worst) occupational groups in terms of fatality rate per 1,000 workers in recent years. Nobody got the correct answer. 

In terms of fatality rate, being a commercial helicopter pilot is the most hazardous occupation in NZ. Based upon 2011-2017 data, at 1.95 deaths annually per 1000 workers, the commercial helicopter sector's workplace fatality rate is New Zealand’s highest, 75 times higher than the national average. The next highest is forestry with a rate of 1.12 annual deaths, 44 times the national average. 

Why is that and how do we fix it? Given that this is an editorial - not a thesis - I’ll just touch on one fairly obvious concern about which there seems to be a good degree of consensus. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission and the sector itself have both raised concerns about poor safety culture in elements of the helicopter sector. The sector expressed these concerns in a survey conducted by the CAA, in its input to the ‘small aircraft and helicopter’ sector risk profile and again in a survey conducted by NZALPA. 

In my view, our occupational health and safety legislation offers a powerful tool for us to collectively nudge attitudes and behaviours in the right direction and improve that much-criticised culture. How? In part through ‘worker engagement, participation, and representation’. Those of you familiar with the Health and Safety At Work Act 2015 (HSWA) will recognise that as the title of Part 3 of the Act. It is also a core principle in the Robens Model of health and safety (upon which our legislation is based) and Articles 19 & 20 of International Labour Organisation Convention 155 (to which New Zealand is a signatory). 

Implementation of the requirement for worker engagement, participation and representation in an employer’s Health and Safety system might be a minimum requirement but implemented effectively, and with constructive engagement between the employer, workers and their representatives it must be a strong contributor to a good safety culture and better safety outcomes. 

While the solution to the poor safety performance in the sector will be multi-faceted, the CAA considers that it, employers in the sector, workers and their representatives will all have important roles to play. The HSWA will provide a useful framework and powerful tools for the various parties to work together toward a common objective.