Check safety critical equipment regularly
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 11 January 2019 A worker has died after a wire rope being used as a handrail appears to have parted as he leaned against it and resulted in him falling onto the ground. Initial examination of the wire rope has found corrosion at the site of the parting. It is unclear […]
Read More →Clearing tracks of 1080 bait
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 20 December 2018 This technical bulletin clarifies the certified handler and controlled substance licence requirements for workers clearing tracks of 1080 bait. Background 1080 is a poison widely used in pest eradication programmes. For operations over large areas of forest and bush, it is commonly applied aerially. The requirements for training and licensing of workers […]
Read More →Farmers urged to focus on critical risks to avoid joining summer accident toll
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 19 December 2018 Summer is a busy time on the farm, but it’s also among the most hazardous periods for accidents. Almost 550 farmers suffered injuries serious enough for them to take at least a week off work over the last summer (December 2017 – February 2018) while there were three […]
Read More →Worker crushed by container swinglift
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 19 December 2018 In the past two years, 10 people working in the transport, postal and warehousing sector have died while at work. Three of these deaths occurred in June 2017 and one had its sequel in the Hamilton District Court on Monday. Transport company Altranz (2008) Ltd was sentenced after […]
Read More →WES and BEI explained
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 13 December 2018 Earlier this year we consulted on proposed changes to 15 Workplace Exposure Standards (WES) and 17 biological exposure indices (BEI) as part of ongoing WorkSafe consultation on, and review of, chemicals and their effects on workers. You may know about WES and BEI or heard other people talk […]
Read More →Fires on mining equipment
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 7 December 2018 This technical bulletin highlights the importance of inspection and maintenance to reduce fire risks in all plant and equipment in extractive operations. Background Worksafe’s High Hazard Unit has recently been notified of a series of events involving fires starting on plant in the extractives sector. Most of these incidents have been […]
Read More →Forklift incident a reminder for companies to learn from their mistakes
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 6 December 2018 Mistakes must be learnt from says WorkSafe after a freight company was sentenced in the Auckland District Court last week. PBT Transport Limited was fined $250,000 following an incident in September 2016 where a worker sustained back injuries, after the freight cage he was working in fell three […]
Read More →Reverse profile diving
MIL OSI – Source: Worksafe New Zealand 6 December 2018 This bulletin provides guidance about reverse profile diving during occupational diving operations. It has been developed in consultation with the Diving Industry Advisory Group (DIAG). It updates information first shared by DIAG in 2017. Introduction WorkSafe consulted with DIAG to determine whether reverse profile diving […]
Read More →Bounce diving
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 6 December 2018 This bulletin provides guidance about bounce diving during occupational diving operations. It has been developed in consultation with the Diving Industry Advisory Group (DIAG). Introduction WorkSafe consulted with DIAG to determine whether bounce diving is a suitable practice for an occupational diver. What is bounce diving? Bounce diving […]
Read More →Use of underwater thermal cutting equipment in occupational diving
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 6 December 2018 This bulletin provides guidance about the use of underwater thermal cutting equipment during occupational diving operations. It has been developed in consultation with the Diving Industry Advisory Group (DIAG). Introduction WorkSafe consulted with DIAG to determine whether SCUBA and SSBA are suitable breathing systems for an occupational diver […]
Read More →WorkSafe accepts enforceable undertaking from Trojan Holdings
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 5 December 2018 WorkSafe New Zealand has accepted an enforceable undertaking from Trojan Holdings Limited, following an incident at the Cromwell Transfer Station in June 2016 where a worker fell into the waste hopper and sustained serious injuries. The worker, employed by Trojan Holdings, was assisting a truck driver to empty […]
Read More →Working near historic underground workings
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 29 November 2018 There have been two recent near-miss incidents involving operations above historic underground workings. In both cases, underground voids were unexpectedly revealed when the surface caved into the void underneath working machinery. Incident 1 An underground void was exposed on the surface of an active coal-crushing and screening plant […]
Read More →Worker injured by falling transmission tower
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 26 November 2018 If your workers are operating at height, you must make sure they’re able to work safely according to WorkSafe in the wake of a sentencing decision released by the Hamilton District Court today. Electrix Limited was sentenced after a worker harnessed to the top of a 30-metre high […]
Read More →Farmers’ innovative silo system wins school a coaching session with Richard Loe
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 23 November 2018 A Southland school has won a coaching session with rugby legend Richard Loe thanks to a farming couple designing an innovative system to prevent falls into their silo. Donna Holland and her husband Denis developed a rope pulley system which opens and closes the silo lid at their dairy […]
Read More →Ensuring safety of plug-in electrical appliances
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 22 November 2018 The Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 apply to in-service appliances and leads including drills and other hand-held tools that are connected to electricity. The Regulations stipulate that these appliances must be protected by a residual current device (RCD) in certain circumstances when necessary, such as when conditions are damp. […]
Read More →Safety gear must be fit for purpose
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 15 November 2018 Identifying a workplace risk, but not following up to ensure it is controlled is bad health and safety business practice according to WorkSafe. The comment follows the sentencing of Agility Building Solutions Limited in the Christchurch District Court yesterday after a painter was injured in the construction company’s […]
Read More →Workplace bullying and harassment
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 13 November 2018 Workplace bullying and harassment (including sexual harassment) is serious. Studies suggest that between one in five and one in three New Zealand workers report bullying or harassment annually. Bullying and harassment allegations or concerns often involve employment relations issues. The Employment Relations Act and the Employment Relations Authority […]
Read More →Damaged footpath led to elderly man’s death
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 9 November 2018 The death of a retired man who fell from a mobility scooter on a damaged piece of footpath has resulted in building development company YSB Group Limited being fined $100,000 by the Manukau District Court. The decision was released today. The footpath had been damaged by heavy vehicles […]
Read More →Local standards not being met
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 9 November 2018 New Zealand has clearly defined standards for how machinery should be guarded, and WorkSafe says they’re still not being met by too many companies. “Too many workers are being seriously injured as a result of substandard guarding,” says WorkSafe’s Head of Specialist Interventions Simon Humphries. Locker Group (NZ) […]
Read More →Builder in court after unlicensed and unsafe asbestos removal
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 8 November 2018 Unqualified and unsafe asbestos removal landed Richard John Knight in the Christchurch District Court last Friday for sentencing. Mr Knight was unlicensed for an asbestos demolition job carried out on a Riccarton building in February 2017. WorkSafe says the sentencing is the first of its kind under new […]
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