The seven worst aspects of remote working and what to do about them
Whether you love working from home or hate it, surveys suggest that it’s here to stay for many companies and employees
Inc. Continue →
Author Curreen
Health and safety failures lead to severe burns
Affco New Zealand Limited were fined $230,000 and ordered to pay $65,000 for failing to keep a worker safe at its Moerewa plant
Failures at a meat processing plant led to a worker suffering severe burns to almost his entire body, says WorkSafe. Continue →
Factory trawler fatality a lesson to us all
All machinery should work safely, even if staff do not comply with rules for safe operation, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) after a worker became trapped in still-working machinery that was behind safety guards
The accident occurred in the very early hours of 14 November 2018 on the fish processing line of the NZ-registered deep-sea factory trawler San Granit, while it was trawling about 102 km east of Banks Peninsula. Continue →
How self-limiting mindsets are detrimental to safety
If you’ve tried adding safety policies, tweaking work processes, holding safety meetings, and investing countless dollars in safety training, but these tactics don’t seem to make a dent in your reportables, this could be why
Certain mindsets impact the success of any attempt to modify organizational culture. Continue →
Seven steps for an effective hazard control plan
Although ensuring that no risk enters the workplace is ideal, it’s not workable in most workplaces, which is where your hazard control plan comes in, putting you in control and reducing the risk for everyone
Slice
A hazard control plan (HCP) is a set of standard operating procedures that help identify, monitor, and mitigate risks within high-risk environments. Continue →
24/7 service and ‘can-do’ attitude drives Hydraulink’s trans-Tasman success
Hydraulink is a successful New Zealand business with a 75 year history, in which time it has grown to become an industry leader in hydraulic hoses, fittings, adaptors and accessories, as well as hydraulic service
Hydraulink’s rapidly expanding network now exceeds 400 service points across New Zealand, Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Continue →
Injured migrant worker not aware of safe practices
Failure to clearly communicate health and safety responsibilities has seen a company fined $281,250 after a migrant worker was crushed by a trailer
When employing migrant workers it is vital to ensure they clearly understand health and safety risks and the measures in place to control them. Continue →
Best job sites for finding remote workers
With remote working now on the rise, Chamber of Commerce has compiled a list of the best websites to help you recruit a remote workforce for your business
Hubstaff Talent
Hubstaff Talent gives employers the opportunity to post a remote job to their jobs board, but the site is also home to thousands of employee profiles that give an employer the chance to find the candidate they want. Continue →
Gisborne fatality after cable snapped on Taiwanese operated ship
An able seaman on a ship loading logs was fatally injured when a cable snapped under too much tension and securing equipment recoiled, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission in its Final Report on the accident
The accident occurred at Eastland Port, Gisborne, on the night of 3 April 2019. Continue →
Construction company sentenced after worker fell from man cage
None of the workers were trained in the use of height safety equipment, or supervised by a competent person, says WorkSafe’s Acting Chief Inspector Danielle Henry
The incident occurred in Kerikeri in April 2018 in which workers were using a man cage to work at a height while building an agricultural shed. Continue →
The best defence Is learning from others
The 2020 Cyberthreat Defence Report reveals what’s on everyone’s mind: how to effectively defend against attackers
According to the report, 81 percent of organisations experienced at least one successful cyberattack last year. Continue →
Five easy ways to reduce stress at work
When work-related stress starts to become chronic, it can become harmful to both your physical and mental well being, which can impact your overall performance
No matter how much you enjoy your work, everyone has experienced stress in their job at some point. Continue →
Child fatally injured on worksite
WorkSafe is reminding everyone that children are always at risk on worksites, after an unsupported stack of wood collapsed on a three-year-old
In March 2016 a three-year-old boy was visiting his father for lunch at a Timaru lumber yard. Continue →
New construction protocols under Level One
With the announcement today that New Zealand is moving to COVID-19 alert level 1 at 11:59 on Monday 8th June, the construction industry has now published a revised standard and protocols for ongoing operations
Key changes from alert level 2 to alert level 1 are:
The relaxing of physical distancing requirements on site. Continue →
The electrochemical alternative for sanitising your workplace
A New Zealand partnership forged under lockdown aims to change people’s reliance on alcohol and traditional chemical based sanitation products, in a market estimated to grow by around 30 percent globally by 2023
Disinfectant and sanitation company, AWS, has signed an agreement with specialist healthcare company Pharmaco after forging a partnership over video calls in lockdown. Continue →
Six tonne truck rolls onto trainee
A mechanics workshop has dodged a $400,000 fine after an untrained worker was crushed by the truck he was working on
It was the young worker’s second day on the job as a trainee and he had been left unsupervised at the time of the incident. Continue →
Fix that ‘accident waiting to happen’ before it’s too late
A company has been fined $270,937 after workers were injured by a gate with a known history of problems that had not been addressed
Dairy farming company, Otago Rural Management Limited was fined $270,937 at the Queenstown District Court yesterday after a worker was injured by a falling gate in June 2017. Continue →
Government scraps low-risk building consents
Homeowners, builders and DIYers will soon have an easier time making basic home improvements as the Government scraps the need for consents for low-risk building work
The Government is introducing new exemptions to the Building Act in a move save homeowners $18 million in consenting costs each year, though building work must still meet the Building Code, Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa announced today. Continue →
Unapproved respiratory PPE falsely marketed as compliant
Respiratory protective equipment that does not meet approved standards may leave workers unprotected from harmful respiratory risks, and give them a false belief that they are protected, warns WorkSafe
Workers in many industries use P2 disposable respirators, commonly known as ‘dust masks’, to manage the risks around breathing chemicals and dusts like silica and asbestos. Continue →
$63k in fines due to unsafe work from heights
Two parties were fined a total of $63,000 after twice disregarding WorkSafe notices about unsafe work from a height, and putting workers at risk of serious harm
The Judge also imposed a Project Order under section 155 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, which require both parties to prepare and present at least three safety seminars and produce an article outlining the incident and the lessons learned from it for publication in an industry magazine. Continue →