Aotearoa New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Scheme provides cover for injuries caused by a gradual process, disease, or infection as a result of a work-related task or environment. These are commonly referred to as “gradual process” injuries. Schedule 2 in the AC Act provides one pathway to cover for these injuries, through a list of occupational diseases. An example in Schedule 2 is lung cancer or mesothelioma diagnosed as caused by exposure to asbestos.

Schedule 2 is based on the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) List of Occupational Diseases, which was created in 1934 and most recently updated in 2010. Currently, Schedule 2 does not have a formal process for review and has not been updated since 2008. The Government is proposing to introduce a regular review for Schedule 2 that will enable it to be kept up-to-date with modern science.