Features & Current Events

Proposed regulations would shrink pool of inspectors
The proposed and delayed Plant, Structures, and Hazardous Work regulations would leave an ever-smaller pool of Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) inspectors to maintain an increasing number of machines, says Elevating Work Platform Association Chief Executive Rodney Grant
There are approximately 18,000 mobile elevating work platforms operating throughout New Zealand, all of which require two inspections per year. Continue →

Health and safety enforcement measures a live wire
When the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) came into force in April 2016, there was much discussion about the new enforcement measures introduced to ensure duty holders complied with their obligations, Graeme Tanner and Joseph Williams note
The HSWA signalled a clear legislative intent to ensure duty holders under the HSWA were held accountable where acts or omissions in a workplace caused, or created an undue risk of, harm. Continue →

Climate change threatens health of New Zealanders in varied ways
Many factors that contribute to the health of New Zealanders will be affected by climate change, finds a new report by Royal Society Te Apārangi. Continue →

Restrictions proposed around pesticide use
WorkSafe is consulting on a proposal to restrict access to areas where pesticides have been used for a period of time it is calling a ‘restricted entry interval’
A restricted entry interval (REI) is the period of time, after a pesticide has been applied to an area, during which residues of the pesticide are likely to be present and could affect the health of workers re-entering the area. Continue →

Everything you need to know about silicosis
Silicosis is an incurable and debilitating lung disease primarily caused by occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica – early symptoms include breathing difficulties, wheezing and chest tightness, writes Michelle Llamas of ConsumerNotice.org Continue →

Scissor lift death under investigation
WorkSafe is looking into the death of a 37-year-old who fell from a scissor lift in Auckland just after Christmas
The incident occurred on 28 December 2024 and the worker died days later in hospital. Continue →

Half of workplace harm incidents go unreported
A global safety charity is calling for more regular, tailored health and safety training and better reporting tools following some sobering figures from a new report
The figures come from the latest edition of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, and are explored further in its latest report: Engineering safer workplaces: Global trends in occupational safety and health. Continue →

Eye injury a result of company’s safety oversights
WorkSafe NZ is stressing the requirement for employers to provide and ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) is used after Northland business was found guilty and sentenced in relation to a casual worker in who suffered a significant eye injury
The victim and a supervisor were repairing orchard fencing in April 2021 when a high-tensile wire snapped, striking the 20-year-old’s left eye. Continue →

Rescue scenario offers invaluable learnings
This summer, Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s specialist high angle rescue team was called in to ‘rescue’ a Watercare staff member from the Wairoa Dam valve tower in the Hūnua Ranges
Auckland’s water and wastewater service provider Watercare has been working closely with emergency services to put its rescue plans to the test before they’re needed. Continue →