Category: H&S News

Hearing loss is permanent. Once the damage is done, there’s no cure. Give your ears a battering today and you might not notice any effects tomorrow. But noise-induced hearing loss is caused by repeated exposures to loud noise over many years. Noise is a particular problem on construction sites. Many construction tasks, tools and equipment produce high […]

Asbestos continues to be the biggest cause of workplace fatalities in New Zealand. Almost 50 years after New Zealand businesses working in and around construction were first made aware of the risks of asbestos, the cancer causing material is still not being managed effectively. As of 4 April this year, businesses must take greater responsibility […]

On Saturday 28 April, we joined many others in commemorating Workers Memorial Day – a time to remember those who have lost their lives at work. We heard from a range of speakers on the theme of ‘Organised Workplaces are Safer Workplaces’ – including the Hon Megan Woods, Minister for the Greater Christchurch Regeneration. David […]

It is with sadness that we farewell Libi, our Project Officer, from the Charter. Libi has been an integral part of the Charter’s success over the past four years and the Charter team and Board would like to take this opportunity to thank Libi and reflect on her great work. Libi started with the Charter […]

We are seeking nominations for the Canterbury Safety Charter Board and will be electing three members at the AGM on Wednesday 18 July. A further three members will be nominated by the independent Board Appointment Panel. Please note the Board may co-op additional members as it sees fit. The nomination process is set out in […]

Asbestos is the number one workplace killer in New Zealand. If you’re a tradie, the asbestos management plan is one of your greatest tools to stay safe when you arrive at a new worksite. If you’re going to a site where you know or suspect there may be asbestos, ask the client to see their […]

It was great to see around 80 women from the construction industry at the ‘Hands on at Hirepool’ event recently. Participants got to try their hand at using concrete breakers from Charter Endorsee Hilti, and diggers, boom and scissor lifts provided by Hirepool. It’s great when women can come along to events like this and […]

Suck it Up Ltd are a hydro excavation business and the team move heavy hoses around and dig holes with shovels so they need good lifting and handling practice to ensure they protect themselves from body stressing injuries. Their H&S Manager, Doug Knight, contacted the Charter and requested a toolbox talk on manual handling and […]

It was a crisp autumn morning when we visited new signatory Southern Lakes Scaffolding to meet their team and introduce them to what being part of the Safety Charter is all about. Owner and Director Garrit grew up in Christchurch and started Southern Lakes Scaffolding in Cromwell in 2005, returning to Christchurch in 2010 to […]

Following our very successful HSR breakfast event in March, the HSR Leadership Group is full steam ahead delivering on their work programme for 2018. With several of our HSR’s indicating they’d like to be more active within the Charter, we’re looking forward to welcoming new members to the Leadership Group. Click here to find out […]

It was great to see over 150 of you at our successful mental wellness breakfast event in April. We had positive feedback from members on how engaging the speakers were and how the topic and content was really valuable. Our keynote speaker was Lance Burdett, Director of Warn International, who brought some humour and great […]

The Charter’s Health and Safety Practitioners Group is helping to build relationships and share knowledge and experiences within the sector. Wendy McLean of Clive Barrington Construction and Cheri Larson-Tizzard from OuterSpace Landscapes hadn’t met until they both attended the first Charter H&S Practitioners Group gathering late last year. Through this group they quickly established a […]

In mid-March over 60 health and safety representatives (HSRs) from Charter members took part in a breakfast event focusing on communication skills and conflict resolution. The event included: Real-life scenarios on communication skills and conflict resolution while dealing with health and safety issues from Dougal Holmes, H&S Manager from Maiden Group and Tony Winterton, HSR […]

Lifeline has launched its free text support service – HELP (4357) to increase access to support for people in distress. The service is open to anyone who wants to talk about what is worrying them. Lifeline hopes it will remove barriers to getting help for people who find it difficult to pick up the phone […]

The Charter is pleased to welcome new signatories JAR Builders, Complete Coatings and JLM Contracting Ltd. We are looking forward to their involvement in the Charter! JAR Builders JAR works with a small team of employees and regular sub-contractors. A lot of the work they do involves underpinning and foundation work. They also have the […]

Robin Rowse, H&S and Compliance Manager at Canterbury Aluminium, is retiring. Robin has been a huge champion of the Charter and we spoke to him recently about what good health and safety means to him. As a child Robin would join his Dad, a builder, on site and learned from an early age the importance […]