Failure after 5 years of self-regulation: a health and safety audit of New Zealand engineering companies carrying out welding

The aim of this study was to audit the degree of compliance with new health and safety legislation 5 years after enactment in a typical cross-section of New Zealand manufacturing industries. To this end, 299 randomly selected enterprises using a welding process were visited by Occupational Safety and Health Officers of the Department of Labour. An interviewer-administered questionnaire concerning the nature of the hazards encountered in that enterprise and the chosen control measures employed to protect the health of their employees was undertaken and analysed. Only 40% of New Zealand businesses in this sample undertaking welding had adopted the most basic of regulatory requirements to control health and safety risks. This percentage seemed independent of employer size. Fundamental safety issues (e.g. welding in confined spaces) were ignored by >50% of enterprises. In conclusion, self-management of health and safety risks had not occurred in over half the enterprises surveyed.