The chances of getting a job as a health and safety inspector are good. This is partly because:

• in 2005 the Department of Labour launched a 10-year strategy to improve health and safety performance in workplaces 
• the Health and Safety Amendment Act of 2002 allowed organisations other than Department of Labour to employ health and safety inspectors.

These factors helped double the number of health and safety inspectors between 2001 and 2006.

Number of health and safety inspectors in New Zealand
(1996, 2001, 2006)

Census	Number of health and safety inspectors
1996	1,314
2001	1,482
2006	2,979
Source: Department of Labour, Jobs and Tertiary Education Indicator Tool.

Low turnover among health and safety inspectors

Because it takes at least six months of training before you can apply for a warrant as a health and safety inspector, most people stay in the role for a relatively long time once qualified. This means that job vacancies for health and safety inspectors are more likely to be for new positions, rather than for positions others have left.

The Department of Labour is the only place in New Zealand where you can train to be a health and safety inspector. Once warranted as a health and safety inspector, you may be employed by another organisation.

The top five industries that employ health and safety inspectors are:

• government administration (21% of health and safety inspectors)
• technical services (8%)
• building construction (4%)
• other business services (4%)
• installation trade services (4%).

Health and safety inspectors work throughout New Zealand, although most are employed in the main centres where most people work, and where most big businesses are:

• Auckland (27% of health and safety inspectors)
• Canterbury (13%)
• Wellington (11%).