23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, Sydney 2023
Insights and learnings from New Zealand Participants
Download World Congress 2023 Report
The World Congress project was in perfect alignment with FutureSafe Aotearoa's mission to foster collaboration and coordination, and enhance capability and knowledge across the system.
By bringing together attendees of the 23rd World Congress for Safety and Health at Work, we gathered valuable insights, promoted collaboration, and produced a summary report highlighting key takeaways for the benefit of all health and safety professionals in Aotearoa.
About the World Congress project
The 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, held in Sydney in November 2023, with approximately 3500 attendees, allowed many leaders and health and safety professionals to hear views from across the world and take away new learnings, insights and ideas.
FutureSafe Aotearoa recognised the value in bringing together participants to identify the learning and themes from the congress. To facilitate this process, ACC agreed to coordinate the efforts and commissioned Beginner’s Mind to undertake the work.
The FutureSafe Aotearoa project team collated the feedback and learnings from New Zealand attendees via a short survey from 23 of the 29 New Zealand attendees identified, followed by an online workshop. This workshop provided an opportunity for participants to meet each other, discuss their insights and share views. The insights gathered were then compiled into this report, to be shared online and throughout the growing health, safety, and wellbeing community.
The World Congress for Safety and Health at Work is an opportunity to gather and connect with global leaders in safety and harm prevention.
World Congress is convened every three years by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which represents 187 member states (countries). The ILO, initiated in 1919, represents both business (associations) and workers (unions). The World Congress for Safety and Health at Work conference has been meeting since 1955. It was held in Singapore in 2017, planned for Canada in 2020 but interrupted by COVID and most recently held in Sydney in November 2023 across five days.
The congress covers new work health and safety ideas, shares insights into the latest research, and covers innovative solutions for workplaces while building strategic alliances and partnerships to advance work health and safety.
There were opportunities to network and participate in workshops, forums, technical sessions, roundtable conversations and more. Participants learned about emerging trends, developed skills to mitigate new risks and gained knowledge of work health and safety best practices.
INSHPO (International Network of Safety & Health Professional Organisations) also held its annual meeting prior to the World Congress conference, with a number of New Zealand conference participants attending.
What is World Congress for Safety and Health at Work?
Key Themes
Through the survey form and online workshops, the project team were able to identify eight key themes. These key themes were highlighted by several project participants and were touched on throughout the conference itself. For detailed information about these key themes, please download the report.
Vision Zero
Innovation and New Technologies
Mental health and Psychological Safety
Safety Culture and Leadership
Emerging Risks
Local vs Global Approaches
Systemic Integration and Future Orientation
Regulatory and Compliance Perspectives
Opportunities For Change
The following questions and statements came from the collation work completed and aim to foster further discussion and prompt action. If Aotearoa is to change its health, safety and wellbeing outcomes long term, what might it need to do or consider? For the full list please download the report.
How might we stay ahead of new and emerging risks by investing in research, technology, and continuous learning for businesses to adapt and respond effectively to the changing health and safety landscape?
How might we use data more effectively to guide health and safety initiatives and evaluate their impact?
How might we create a collaborative ecosystem for research and knowledge sharing on psychosocial risks that can inform policy and practice in New Zealand?
How might we cultivate leadership in HSW that inspires organisations to prioritise health and safety as a moral and ethical obligation, influencing a cultural shift?
How might we advocate for the integration of health and safety risks into the broader enterprise risk management framework for a comprehensive risk view?
How might we strengthen international collaborations to share insights and lessons on HSW, avoiding siloed approaches and enhancing global learning?
How might we anticipate and adapt to changes in the workplace environment that align with the expectations and lifestyles of younger generations?
How might we enhance collaboration within and across sectors to share innovations and learn from each other’s experiences in addressing health and safety challenges?
Download World Congress 2023 Report
FutureSafe Aotearoa would like to thank all World Congress 2023 project participants for their contributions and commitment to lifting health, safety and wellbeing knowledge across Aotearoa.
Arthur Shaw, ACC
Brenton Harrison, Savory Construction
Brent Sutton, Learning Teams
Bridgette Jennings, FAMANZ
Bronwyn Presland, HASANZ
Chris Alderson, CHASNZ
Cushla Beale, AsureQuality
Deborah Pitout, ASB
Denva Wren, Woolworths NZ
Francois Barton, BLHSF
Georgi Toma, Heart Brain Works
Grant Nicholson, Anthony Harper
Greg Dearsly, First4Safety/INSHPO
Joanne Crawford, Victoria University
Katrina Berry, Ngai Tahu
Mark Green, Contact Energy
Mike O’Brien, HASANZ/Navona
Moira King, NZDF
Nicola Knobel, Plunket
Olivia Welsh, Anthony Harper
Pam Mitchell, Tamaki Health
Paula Herring, ACC
Peter Bateman, Safeguard
Petra Hakansson, Guardian Angel
Robert Keenan, NZ Post
Robyn Bennett, NZISM