New Zealand's most dangerous industry to work in revealed

New data has revealed New Zealand’s most dangerous industry to work in is Transport, Postal and Warehousing.

Worksafe is now asking for new research to figure out how to reduce workers dying on the road.

ACC research has shown many people are chronically overworked to the point it's unsafe.

The Government's only just discovered how bad it is thanks to information sharing between agencies.

Worksafe initially said 42 people died at work in 2018 but it's now revised that number to 63 after getting new data from ACC. Since 2011, 112 people have died in the industry. 

Worksafe has now commissioned new research around how "risks that emanate from business models and supply chain pressures can be managed effectively".

Safeguard magazine editor Peter Bateman told Newshub part of what makes the industry so dangerous is the long hours.

"The contract they're working under in some cases is so tight and so severe that there is simply not enough time in the day to do their job without breaking the law and so they have a choice, break the law, or earn a living.”

Many do break the law, driving over the 13 hour limit in some cases for 15 hours a day which can have dangerous consequences.

"Our professional drivers have an alarmingly high worker fatality rate on public being 22 times that of our general working population," University of Otago Workplace Safety Researcher Rebbecca Lilley told Newshub.

"We really do have a big knowledge gap when it comes to understanding how organisations are influencing driver behaviour and what sort of risk that's putting them under," Lilley told Newshub.

"When you and I are on the road and a large rig is looming down on us, we've got to wonder, what fatigue condition is that driver in today?" Bateman said.