This report outlines the development process of the New Zealand risk assessment of pushing and pulling (NZRAPP). It provides a record of the logic behind why specific changes to the HSE tools were made.

Executive summary

Background and purpose

There are currently no recommended methods to assess pushing and pulling tasks in New Zealand, and generally there is a need to improve hazardous manual task risk management. Further, the current, Code of practice for manual handling (Department of Labour et al., 2001) needs updating.

Previous research reported that resources and tools are needed to help businesses, inspectors, and professionals from across the work health and safety disciplines to easily identify musculoskeletal risks and controls (WorkSafe New Zealand, 2024b, 2025a). This led to WorkSafe adopting the suite of tools from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in the United Kingdom (UK). These tools were selected as they provide a comprehensive approach to address the range of risk factors associated with hazardous manual tasks.

A staged approach was used to develop the initial set of hazardous manual tasks tools for use in Aotearoa New Zealand. This report outlines the development process undertaken at Stage 3 which saw the completion of the New Zealand risk assessment of pushing and pulling (NZRAPP).

How we developed NZRAPP

In Stage 3, reported here, we developed an initial draft of NZRAPP. We had already confirmed with the HSE at Stage 1 that we could adapt the suite of tools to make them relevant for New Zealand. NZRAPP was reviewed internally before being designed. Due to time and budget restrictions, a simplified approach was taken compared with Stage 1, with no user trials occurring. But the principles learnt at Stage 1 were applied and similar formatting and layout were used to ensure consistency.

Outcomes

The HSE’s RAPP tool (Health and Safety Executive, 2016b) was adapted and became the New Zealand risk assessment of pushing and pulling (NZRAPP) (WorkSafe New Zealand, 2025c). NZRAPP has two different types of pushing or pulling assessments: using non-powered wheeled equipment, and moving loads without wheels. NZRAPP helps assessors to identify high-risk pushing and pulling tasks and to check the effectiveness of control measures. The HSE (UK) are currently reviewing RAPP as they identified that the tool may underestimate the overall level of risk when certain risk factors combine, such as pushing or pulling heavy loads on slopes. A revised version is expected in 2026. To mitigate this underestimation until then, we suggest assessors consider all the contributing risk factors and undertake further investigation of tasks that involve pushing or pulling heavy loads on slopes.

Conclusions

There was a clear need to provide New Zealand businesses, and those working across the health and safety disciplines including inspectors with up-to-date, quick and easy to use, but scientifically robust hazardous manual task risk assessment tools. Research showed that the HSE suite of tools from the UK would be the most suitable. The Stage 3 development of NZRAPP aligns with NZMAC and NZART and is the final tool that was planned as part of the initial toolkit of New Zealand resources to help businesses assess hazardous manual tasks and to manage musculoskeletal health risks. This should only be seen as the starting point, and there are many other resources needed to support the uptake of these tools. However, due to organisational restructure, the development of further tools or resources is not planned.

Recommendations

We recommend that the NZRAPP is used with other tools such as the Contributing factors for musculoskeletal risks checklist to address the wide range of work organisation and psychosocial risk factors. This will contribute towards a more comprehensive health risk management approach and should involve worker engagement and participation.

Businesses still require additional resources and guidance to support better management of the musculoskeletal risks workers are exposed to. The development of online tools, case studies, additional resources, and training are recommended. This work needs to be supported by an updated ‘Code of practice for manual handling’ or a new hazardous manual tasks good practice guide or similar.