industries
Industry Risk Intelligence for New Zealand Workplaces
This page combines Safe HR guidance with WorkSafe NZ data signals, so directors can see where risk is concentrated and what controls matter most by sector.
WorkSafe NZ Harm Snapshot
Average annual rates from WorkSafe’s 2011–2022 analysis show why these sectors remain priority risk areas.
Fatality Rate (per 100,000 FTE)
Serious Non-Fatal Injury Rate (per 100,000 FTE)
*WorkSafe publishes these rates at grouped-industry level: Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing and Transport, Postal & Warehousing.
Sector Articles: Top Dangers and Control Priorities
Agriculture / Farming
Agriculture remains one of the highest-risk sectors in Aotearoa. WorkSafe states that agriculture accounts for around 25% of acute work-related fatalities and serious injuries while representing only about 6% of employment. Vehicle and machinery exposure, remote and isolated work, and long-hour fatigue patterns are key risk drivers on farms.
25%
Share of acute fatalities and serious injuries (WorkSafe sector plan)
16.7
Fatality rate per 100,000 FTE (2011–2022 average)
78.6
Serious non-fatal injury rate per 100,000 FTE (2011–2022 average)
Agriculture / Farming
Most dangerous hazards: farm vehicles (tractors, utes, quads), moving machinery and PTO/contact points, and fatigue-related decision errors in variable weather and terrain.
Logistics & Transport
Transport risk is dominated by vehicle-related harm and supply-chain pressures. WorkSafe’s transport collaboration report identified high levels of truck-related harm in a single year and highlighted system-level pressures (time, scheduling, chain-of-responsibility decisions) as contributors to risk escalation.
57
Fatal crashes involving trucks (2019)
170
Serious truck-related injuries (2019)
521
Minor truck-related injuries (2019)
Most Risk Activities (Logistics & Transport)
Most dangerous hazards: road crashes and rollovers, loading/unloading interface failures, and fatigue under delivery-time pressure. Priority controls include journey risk planning, fatigue governance, and load/security verification.
Warehousing
WorkSafe reports warehousing within the broader Transport, Postal & Warehousing grouping. In operational terms, warehouses combine traffic risk (forklifts, trucks, pedestrians) with manual handling and repetitive strain loads. Musculoskeletal injuries remain a major contributor to time-away claims across high-handling environments.
11.9
Fatality rate per 100,000 FTE (grouped industry rate)
43.8
Serious non-fatal injury rate per 100,000 FTE (grouped industry rate)
13%
Workers reporting injury needing medical attention (grouped industry, 2021)
Most Risk Activities (Warehousing)
Most dangerous hazards: mobile plant/pedestrian interaction, racking and falling objects, and cumulative strain from repetitive pick-pack-lift tasks. Best controls are traffic separation, engineered guarding, and ergonomic redesign.
Manufacturing
WorkSafe identifies manufacturing as a priority sector with the largest total number of injuries and persistent performance issues over the past decade. Fatal incidents are frequently linked to preventable mechanisms such as on-site vehicle interactions, falls from height, being struck by falling objects, and workers being trapped in machinery.
Largest
Total number of injuries of any sector (WorkSafe priority plans)
1.7
Fatality rate per 100,000 FTE (2011–2022 average)
21.1
Serious non-fatal injury rate per 100,000 FTE (2011–2022 average)
Most Risk Activities (Manufacturing)
Most dangerous hazards: unsafe machinery and entanglement points, on-site vehicle movement, falls, and exposure to dust/fume hazards. Controls should combine machine guarding, lockout verification, and exposure monitoring.
WorkSafe NZ Sources
Work health and safety: An overview of harm and risk in Aotearoa New Zealand (June 2024; data to June 2023)
WorkSafe Priority Plans 2024–2026 (sector plan summary statements)
WorkSafe transport report news release (22 July 2021; 2019 truck-related injury figures)