Removing facemask requirements in healthcare facilities and lifting the Covid-19 mandatory seven-day isolation period will put the health system and those with health issues at risk as a new sub-variant emerges, experts fear New Zealanders must hold onto the values of keeping others safe, even when Government policy is no longer aligned with those values, University of Otago Associate Professor Amanda Kvalsvig says. Continue →

Spending hours looking at screens each day can take its toll on the health of your staff, but they can reduce their screen time and still be productive Physical strain to your eyes and body, sleep deprivation, increased risk of obesity, susceptibility to chronic health conditions, loss of cognitive ability, impaired socialising skills, weakened emotional judgment and lower self-esteem are just some of the potential consequences of too much screen time. Continue →

The scrapping of $5 prescription fees, a big ticket item in Budget 2023, is a good distraction when it is the $2.3 billion allocated to healthcare that deserves our attention In the words of John Taskinsoy, nothing is free in this world; when you are offered a free lunch, think twice before you accept it, as you may be asked later to do so much more to pay back. Continue →

As a four-day work week is trialled in countries across the globe, University of South Australia researchers are backing the idea after new empirical research finds it has health and performance benefits Assessing changes in daily movements before, during and after holidays, researchers found that people displayed more active, healthy behaviours when they were on holiday, even when they only had a three-day break. Continue →

As New Zealand enters what is being called its fourth wave of Covid-19, the Government has decided to retain its current settings requiring those who contract the virus to isolate for seven days Covid-19 Modelling Aotearoa used a mathematical model to figure out how the country’s rates of Covid-19 infections, hospital admissions, and deaths would change if our isolation requirements were scrapped. Continue →

Dealing with extraordinary events is likely to cause some feelings of anxiety and distress – this is normal, MATES in Construction says As we endure and begin to recover from such events, we want to remind everyone that if you are struggling or recognise that you are not travelling well, it is okay, because it’s okay NOT to be okay, but it’s NOT okay to do nothing about it. Continue →

More women entering manually intensive roles in New Zealand workplaces is changing the way bras are designed and worn, according to one of the country’s largest lingerie exporters Latest Government data, shows the number of women in trades is up 25% on a decade ago. Continue →

A nine-month old report by the McKinsey Health Institute is even more relevant today as we tenuously cling to the hope we may be returning to normal and have plenty to live for Over the past century, life expectancy has dramatically increased in most parts of the world. Continue →

The rollout of a two-way text-based check-in system that champions employee wellbeing has been taken up by 11,000 apprentices so far and is already showing results TextPulse is a digital health tool that monitors employees’ moods, identifying those struggling before their challenges amplify. Continue →

Despite the end of lockdowns and the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the construction industry is still in crisis, this year’s MATES in Construction Wellbeing Survey finds Respondents are reporting similar or higher levels of anxiety and suicidal ideation compared to last year and lower levels of resilience when it comes to managing stress. Continue →

This is great news for many patients who have long sought legal access to both New Zealand-grown and made medicinal cannabis products, says Helius Therapeutics Chief Executive Carmen Doran Her comments follow Helius being the first New Zealand medicinal cannabis company to gain approval for products derived from locally grown cannabis plants, with the Full Spectrum CBD medicines also locally extracted and manufactured. Continue →

WorkSafe believes it is now appropriate to restart spirometry testing for pre-employment checks and exit medicals for workers doing high-risk activities In mid to late 2020 spirometry testing was suspended due to concerns over its potential links to the spread of COVID-19. Continue →

Currently taking public submissions, the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Bill will limit the way tobacco is accessed and marketed Now with Parliament’s health select committee, the bill limits the number of retailers able to sell smoked tobacco products, prohibits the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, and aims to make tobacco products less appealing and addictive. Continue →

A recent report by global management consultants McKinsey & Company on why nurses want to leave contains valuable lessons for New Zealand. Continue →

Work outside the 9-5 has well-documented health issues due to body clock disruption, and now studies show links with poorer working memory and slower mental processing speed – this has implications for health and safety, researchers say. Continue →

New Covid-19 variants and waning immunity could see more New Zealanders catching the virus for a second time As we head further from the peak of the vaccine campaign and the Omicron outbreak, people’s immunity will eventually start to wane. Continue →

Cross-contamination of airborne viruses and diseases is nearly 20 times more likely indoors than out, yet most New Zealand employers and institutions have no formal air hygiene practices in place or guidelines to follow, Rentokil Initial New Zealand Managing Director Craig Wilson says With new research revealing 4 out of 5 Kiwis believe they are at risk of being exposed to Covid-19 and other airborne viruses in workplaces, Rentokil Initial is urging businesses to implement air hygiene practices to safeguard their employees and customers and help with the return to normal. Continue →

If you can’t seem to keep work at bay, this out-of-hours practice could cost you your health, according to research from the University of South Australia Surveying more than 2200 academics and professional staff across 40 Australian universities, researchers found that employees who responded to digital work communications out of hours were more likely to suffer from burnout, psychological distress, and poor physical health. Continue →

The arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron variant has prompted health officials worldwide to urge booster shots for all “If we can’t get our vaccination rate up, we’re basically waiting for everyone who still has no immunity to Covid to get infected instead,” Atlantic science and health reporter Sarah Zhang says. Continue →

New Otago University research reveals that New Zealand’s construction workers are more than two times more likely to die by suicide than the rest of the workforce, but one group has achieved global recognition in trying to turn things around While construction workers make up about 9.5% of all workers, the study found that between 17.3% (2010/11) and 29.7% (2018/2019) of those who died by suicide in New Zealand were employed in the sector. Continue →