The Top 5 Causes of Workplace Accidents in New Zealand
While every industry has its own unique hazards, there are several types of risks that consistently show up across almost every sector. They aren’t rare events or unusual safety failures, they’re the everyday causes of harm that repeatedly appear in national data, ACC claims and WorkSafe investigations. Climbing a ladder can be dangerous. Driving a forklift can be dangerous. Removing an avocado stone can be dangerous. But when we look at the statistics, the activities most likely to cause harm transcend almost every industry… regardless of the presence of avocados and ladders.
This article breaks down the top five most common causes of workplace accidents in New Zealand, based on evidence from recent WorkSafe reports, ACC data, and national studies. Whether you’re a business owner, PCBU, health and safety advisor, or leadership team member; understanding these causes is essential for building a robust risk register and a healthier, safer workplace.
1. Vehicle & Transport-Related Accidents
Transport-related risks remain the single biggest cause of workplace fatalities in New Zealand. These incidents don’t just happen on construction sites or farms, they happen in: transport, warehousing, utilities, forestry, roadwork or any role involving driving.
The Stats:
A major NZ study found that 58% of all work-related fatal injuries between 1999 and 2014 were road-related including trucks, light vehicles, and bystanders.
Trucks alone were involved in 18% of all fatal crashes between 2021 and 2023.
The transport, postal and warehousing sector has one of the highest serious injury rates: 24.22 injuries per 1,000 workers (WorkSafe, 2024–2025 data).
Why it’s so common:
NZ workplaces rely heavily on road transport.
Long shifts, tight deadlines, and fatigue create major risk.
Many roles require mixed terrain driving (farm tracks, forestry roads, industrial yards).
Vehicle maintenance varies widely between businesses.
What it means for employers:
Vehicle movements - whether on-road or on-site - should always be treated as serious risks. Fatality potential is at the top of the chart and WorkSafe continues to focus heavily on mobile plant, vehicle separation and journey management.
2. Slips, Trips & Falls
These incidents may sound superficial, but nationally they cause massive harm, time off work and tremendous cost to the healthcare system.
The Stats:
WorkSafe notes slips, trips and falls as “one of the most common causes of injuries for workers.”
ACC paid out more than $1.6 billion for slips, trips and falls in just 11 months from July 2023.
“Falls on the same level” is consistently one of the top three causes of weekly-injury claims for workers requiring more than a week off work.
Why it’s so common:
Poor housekeeping in warehouses, workshops, retail spaces, and offices.
Weather exposure — NZ is a wet country with slippery surfaces year-round.
Inadequate maintenance (stairs, floor coverings, lighting).
Rushed work and worker distraction.
What it means for employers:
Even though slips and trips often result in non-fatal harm, the volume and cost are massive. These are exactly the types of “boring risks” that every risk register should capture because they’re nearly universal.
3. Musculoskeletal Injuries (Manual Handling & Physical Strain)
Muscular stress and manual handling injuries are some of the most frequent reasons workers take extended time off work.
The Stats:
Approximately 30% of all work-related harm in NZ is musculoskeletal (WorkSafe).
For July 2024–June 2025, the most common accident types in serious injury claims were:
Muscular stress with no objects being handled
Muscular stress while lifting/carrying/putting down objects.
Why it’s so common:
Lifting, lowering, carrying and repetitive movements are built into many jobs.
Poor workplace design: benches too low, heavy items stored overhead, narrow aisles.
Inadequate training on body positioning and load management.
Increasing mental load and fatigue results in poor lifting technique.
What it means for employers:
Almost every business has manual handling exposure potential; often more than they realise. Risk controls need to focus on design (engineering), workflow improvements and minimising manual effort. Relying on “lift with your knees” training is not enough under the HSWA.
4. Work-Organisation & Environmental Risks (Fatigue, Noise, Heat, Shift Work)
These risks rarely show up as single catastrophic events, instead, they erode worker performance and increase error rates, contributing to the incidents above.
The Stats:
WorkSafe identifies “Work-organisation and environmental risks” as one of the major categories of national harm.
NZ workers “commonly experience fatigue at work,” according to WorkSafe’s Workforce Segmentation & Insights programme.
Fatigue specifically is highlighted as a contributor to many vehicle, plant and procedural incidents.
Why it’s so common:
Long hours, shift work, overtime, understaffing.
Hot or cold environments that reduce concentration.
Excessive noise = stress, miscommunication and procedural errors.
Poorly organised workflows, bottlenecks and high demand pressures.
What it means for employers:
These risks must be treated as system problems not worker problems. They belong in the risk register because they amplify almost every other hazard.
5. Psychosocial Risks (Stress, Bullying, Harassment, Job Pressure)
Traditionally, psychosocial risks were treated as HR issues. Under HSWA 2015 they are recognised as health and safety risks with equal importance to physical hazards.
The Stats:
23% of NZ workers reported workplace bullying in the last 12 months.
60% reported work-related stress.
30% reported experiencing any work-related mental health or wellbeing issue in the previous year.
Psychosocial risks occur in every industry and occupation (WorkSafe).
Why it’s so common:
High job demands + low control.
Poor leadership capability or culture.
Inadequate resourcing or unrealistic expectations.
Exposure to violence, aggression or trauma in specific roles.
What it means for employers:
Psychosocial risk management is no longer optional. PCBUs must be able to show they’ve assessed and controlled these risks just like they would for machinery or vehicles.
So, What Does This Mean for Your Risk Register?
One of the strongest themes in New Zealand health and safety is that a risk register isn’t an admin task - it’s a management tool. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, PCBUs must monitor, review and control workplace risks so far as is reasonably practicable.
When you look at New Zealand’s injury and harm data, these five causes stand out because:
They occur across almost all industries.
They account for the majority of serious or fatal harm.
They are predictable and preventable when systems are well-managed.
They reflect WorkSafe’s largest areas of enforcement and guidance.
All facets of vehicle maintenance operations and movements, trip hazards and housekeeping, manual handling and environmental conditions have been staple hazards for most industries and likely feature extensively in your workplace’s risk register. Psychosocial risks are a more recent conversation but they need to be included as well.
Workplace accidents in New Zealand remain a major cause of harm, but the trends are clear. Year after year, the same categories continue to dominate our national statistics. By acknowledging and actively managing these five risk areas, businesses can prevent a significant proportion of serious injuries and fatalities.
The HSWA 2015 sets the legal framework but the real effectiveness of a safety system lies in how well PCBUs identify, control, and monitor risks. A well-maintained risk register is at the heart of that system and these five causes should feature extensively.
Not every risk can be eliminated but with data, controls, and proactive culture, these common hazards can be effectively managed and dramatically reduced. That’s good for workers, good for compliance and good for business.