Time away from work due to injury is rising across many New Zealand industries – and manufacturing is no exception.
While the number of workplace injuries each year is coming down, workers in manufacturing are taking longer to return. That creates challenges not just for businesses trying to maintain productivity, but for injured workers, whose physical and mental well-being can be affected by extended time off work.
We know that returning to work in a supportive environment – or even recovering while still working – leads to better outcomes for everyone involved. But despite the benefits, many workplaces still face practical and systemic barriers that make this difficult to achieve.
ShopCare has just released a new case study that is highly relevant for the manufacturing sector, and I’m pleased to share the highlights with the F+B Tech community.
Working with a large rural manufacturer, the case study highlights how a structured return-to-work approach helped injured workers recover faster and get back on the job.
Supporting the full retail lifecycle
First, a quick introduction to ShopCare. We are a charitable trust funded by ACC that works to improve health, safety and wellbeing outcomes across the full retail supply chain – from manufacturing, warehousing, transport and logistics, through to the shop floor.
Our work begins at the manufacturer's or supplier's worksite and ends when a customer walks away with their purchase. That retail supply chain journey involves approximately 20 percent (492k) of the workforce in New Zealand– and we’re here to help them stay safe, supported, and well.
We do this by partnering with industry leaders and experts to create practical tools, free training resources, real-world case studies, and pilot programmes to test new approaches to long-standing problems.
Read more from Selena Armstrong, CEO, ShopCare, in the latest issue here
