Obscured by the announcement of a ‘road cone hotline’ were a suite of significant health and safety reforms which a collective of unions say fail to support small businesses, despite others calling it a good result of quality consultation The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions – Te Kauae Kaimahi (NZCTU) and Civil Contractors New Zealand (CCNZ) are both criticising the Government’s focus on a new ‘road cone hotline’, when there have been far more significant changes announced by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Continue →

WorkSafe New Zealand is adding up to 60 new recruits to its inspectorate this year and has just opened its first intake WorkSafe is investing an extra $2.7 million annually into growing its inspectorate. Continue →

Meeting for a coffee is not just about the drink itself – it has become a Kiwi ritual that can spark creativity, build trust, break down barriers, and offer a much-needed mini-escape Whether it’s a casual catch-up or a meaningful work meeting, coffee can be the catalyst for deeper connections and fresh ideas. Continue →

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 →

Though the change proposal would disestablish 180 roles, WorkSafe says it is aiming to increase frontline services over time WorkSafe New Zealand opened consultation for its staff on its organisational change proposal on 23 October. Continue →

Duncan Cotterill Associate Sean Brennan examines a series of decisions issued by the District Court in relation to a PCBU’s responsibility for the health and safety of “other persons” Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA), those conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) have an obligation to ensure the health and safety of workers, and to ensure the health and safety of “other persons” is not put at risk by the PCBU’s work activity. Continue →

A recent Employment Court ruling has highlighted the importance of open justice while hinting at potential changes ahead, say Duncan Cotterill Associate Caitlin Sargison and Solicitor Gene Park Traditionally, the principle of open justice means that all details of decisions in the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court are made public unless there’s a strong reason to keep them private. Continue →

WorkSafe has published what it calls ‘priority plans’ to guide targeted engagement and enforcement activities as part of the agency’s much-needed strategic reset WorkSafe says it will deliver enforcement, engagement, and permitting activities across priority areas to maximise its influence and achieve better, more equitable outcomes. Continue →

While mental health in the construction is improving overall, more support is needed for the sector’s most vulnerable workers MATES in Construction, a not-for-profit organisation which supports positive well-being in the industry, surveyed more than 2000 workers, with 85% of workers reporting good mental health in 2023. Continue →

Much like airbags and seatbelts, in-cab cameras and shaking seats have become a safety non-negotiable in all of Hilton Haulage’s trucks A three-month trial of Guardian by Seeing Machines cameras in six of its truck and trailer combinations identified instances of driver fatigue, leading the company to implement the technology across their entire fleet of over 200 vehicles. Continue →

Industry leaders are calling recent commentary on temporary traffic management uninformed and unhelpful, as they work to transition from a ‘one size fits all’ model to a more risk-based approach Temporary Traffic Management Industry Steering Group (TTM ISG) Chair Dave Tilton says the industry is already making progress in ensuring temporary traffic management is fit for purpose through the transition from the compliance-based Code of practice for temporary traffic management (CoPTTM) to the more risk-based approach described in the New Zealand guide to temporary traffic management (NZGTTM). Continue →

The Employment Court has ruled that Associate Professor Siouxsie Wiles’ employer breached its contractual obligations to protect her health and safety in the wake of harassment she experienced as a result of her work The judgment comes around two-and-a-half years after Wiles and then University of Auckland employee Professor Shaun Hendy initially filed their claim with the Employment Relations Authority in January 2022. Continue →

Historically safety documents and certificates have been hard copy paperwork that sparkies need to lug from one premise to the next, which really isn’t practical when safety assessments need to be logged right away on every job, says Fergus founder Dan Pollard Digital safety certificates have helped tradies move from easy-to-lose, paper documentation to a simpler, more efficient digital format. Continue →

Work-related suicide is a significant yet underexamined issue, but a new WorkSafe report aims to shed light on its prevalence In three sections, the report looks at how work factors may contribute to suicidality. Continue →

Independent research released by Kordia shows just how detrimental cyber-attacks are on some of New Zealand’s largest businesses Of the surveyed businesses, all with 100 or more employees, that were hit by a cyber-attack in 2023, more than one in three (36%) said their business operations were disrupted, and 29% said personal data was stolen or accessed. Continue →

WorkSafe has dropped charges against Mercury NZ following a health and safety incident, now that the company has committed $1.15 million to resolving the issue A self-drive vehicle to enhance worker safety will be trialled by one of the country’s largest electricity providers, as part of a new agreement with WorkSafe New Zealand. Continue →

Civil Contractors New Zealand Technical Manager Michelle Farrell observes a real-life scenario of temporary traffic management and how it aims to reduce risk, but in some ways achieves the opposite The activity is footpath construction on two corners of a no exit street, off a side street, off a very busy Auckland urban road. Continue →

Outdated perceptions of leadership persist across society despite being repeatedly debunked, University of Queensland research finds Professor Alex Haslam from the university’s School of Psychology led research into ideas about leadership which are still popular despite being harmful for individuals, groups, and organisations. Continue →

With the labour market becoming more competitive, employers are turning to anthropologists to create an optimum environment for employee attraction and retention, says corporate anthropologist Michael Henderson Historically, New Zealand has lagged behind international trends in the use of human scientists from this field, but this is now changing – with demand growing rapidly since the pandemic. Continue →

Stratford Logging’s operator has been sentenced for repeatedly and unapologetically cutting corners to save a dollar Kevin Howard Stratford, who operates Stratford Logging, was convicted in the Nelson District Court and fined $56,000. Continue →