As Dunedin Hospital’s outpatient building opens, the project is also celebrating a major safety achievement: no serious injuries, supported by a new approach from WorkSafe New Zealand.
Construction began in June 2022 and the building was officially opened last week, with the first patients expected through the doors in October.
WorkSafe inspectors used a new health and safety model, first developed by the regulator’s mining inspectors, to improve safety outcomes on the build.
Reducing harm in construction is a priority for WorkSafe. The sector accounts for around 15% of work-related fatalities and serious injuries and experiences some of the highest rates of acute and chronic harm.
Under the new model instead of sporadic site visits, inspectors worked closely with project teams through regular, consistent engagement. This approach has contributed to there being no major incidents on the build.
WorkSafe Dunedin area manager James Gourley introduced the model to the construction of the outpatient building after seeing its impact on the City Rail Link project in Auckland.
“It starts with early engagement at all levels, right from the boardroom to the frontline,” he says. “Traditionally, inspectors visit sites sporadically, often sending different personnel each time. This makes it hard to build rapport and address issues early.”
James Gourley and his team worked closely with contractor Southbase to embed monthly site visits by the same pair of inspectors. They also held regular senior leadership meetings with Health New Zealand, the project management and its health and safety advisors. The effect was noticeable.
“Toolbox safety talks are normally pretty quiet, but at the one I attended, the workers were speaking up,” he says. “They were passionate about it; the guys were really chiming in.”
Inspector Rob Bryson notes some compliance notices were issued at the start of the project, but that helped set expectations early.
“What came from it was an improvement in performance. In the later part of the build there were very few compliance notices; the issues became fewer. The construction teams knew the areas where they needed to perform better.”
Rob Bryson says trust was a defining outcome of the model.
“We’re showing we are reasonable; it’s not all about firing out enforcement notices. People understand what we’re trying to achieve, and they feel they can talk freely. If there was an issue, they’d call and let us know.”
Southbase’s Senior Project Manager Anthony Franicevic says the relationship-focused approach has helped dismantle a common misconception.
“There can be a perception on some sites that it’s us vs WorkSafe; that they’re hard to deal with, don’t call them. We worked hard together to shift that attitude and build trust. Having the same set of inspectors made all the difference.”
He says WorkSafe’s practical guidance, especially around dust and hazardous substances, has become part of everyday site culture.
“Normally we’d get a broom and sweep up the wood dust, but they asked, ‘Is there a better way to deal with that?’ So, we switched to vacuum systems. That’ll stay with me; it’s embedded in how I’ll operate in the future.”
The outpatient building is now complete and the next phase, the inpatient building, will be even larger, with up to 600 workers on site and completion scheduled for 2031.
But WorkSafe’s approach will stay the same.
Its Southern Region Manager Adrian van Dyk says the success of the model in Dunedin and Auckland will influence how the regulator works on major builds. “We have seen this approach being successful in the recently completed Te Kaha Stadium in Christchurch as well, which saw no major incidents across the full project.”
“I saw the good work James and his team put in on the Dunedin hospital project. They’ve created a model that works. It will lay the basis for how we develop our relationship with other contractors.”
About WorkSafe New Zealand
WorkSafe is the primary regulator for health and safety at work. Our role is to influence businesses and workers to meet their responsibilities to ensure work is healthy and safe. We provide guidance, investigate serious incidents, and take enforcement action when necessary. We work with businesses, workers, and industry to reduce work-related harm and ensure everyone who goes to work comes home healthy and safe.
