Health & Safety and Wellbeing Issues Confronting New Zealand Building Council Staff Involved in Compliance Issues

New Zealand building council staff involved in compliance matters, such as inspecting buildings and issuing building consents and code compliance certificates, face workplace pressure from high workloads and long work hours. These increase their risk of physical and mental health problems. This research reviews the literature on health & safety and wellbeing issues in public sector employees and considers the different support mechanisms to reduce these issues. It then compares the review findings with results from a survey of 63 building compliance team members in a New Zealand municipal office. Of those surveyed, 48% had experienced physical health issues such as musculoskeletal problems and headaches. 75% had mental health issues such as anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Female respondents reported more mental issues than male respondents and participants in technical roles experienced more problems than those in managerial roles. Strategies to mitigate these problems include talking about issues, taking regular breaks, exercising and receiving monetary rewards for extra work. The employer did provide health & safety and wellbeing support, but some employees found it difficult to accept this support. Law reform is suggested as one of the solutions to enhance the current Health and Safety at Work Act. This could include standards on ergonomic office furniture and managing work output expectations that could be implemented through increased flexibility of working hours, location, and resources. The findings are important in highlighting the health issues faced by public sector staff working in stressful roles and in recommending ways to reduce those issues.