Category: H&S News

Critical risk A critical risk stems from an activity which if not adequately controlled could result in significant injury or fatality.  The Safety Charter recognises many activities which could potentially cause significant harm, including working at heights, working with electricity, working in confined spaces, impairment, hot works, traffic management to name a few. All these […]

As the Safety Charter celebrates its tenth anniversary, Peter Bateman, Safeguard talks to Paul Duggan, about the Charters success and opportunities, and whether the concept could be replicated elsewhere in the country – without the motivation of a natural disaster and the massive infrastructure rebuild that follows? Safeguard shares the thoughts and reflections of three […]

Lisa Van Der Plas; Health, Safety and Wellbeing Manager, Environment Canterbury After being overseas for 10 years, Lisa returned to New Zealand and joined AIR New Zealand, where her passion for health and safety started. Q1:  What is your background, and how did you get started in Health and Safety? I came back to New […]

With the Mentally Safe Work Conference on the horizon, Gordon Anderson, Hasmate Ltd revisits a 2011 article to provide us with ‘food for thought’ around looking after ourselves and employees. Mental health and health and safety With mental health now recognised as a prime workplace and health issue, I thought it would be pertinent to […]

Dawn Mehrtens – Health & Safety Manger – Waghorn Builders Dawn’s health and safety journey began whilst working in a hazardous environment at the freezing works, with extensive training she joined the rescue squad as a team member and then the Health & Safety Officer. When her sons required a Health & Safety Manager at […]

Workplaces overlap at many points, and this is also true with health and safety. All individuals and organisations have both upstream and downstream responsibilities for the safety and wellbeing of others. Subcontractors on site must not only ensure their own health and safety, but also those around them who may be affected by their activities. […]

Organisation’s must have robust, proactive, and accurate health and safety reporting of both lead and lag indicators. Reporting on accidents and incidents is essential for identifying potential hazards and risks. By keeping track of incidents and accidents, organisations can pinpoint areas of their operations where safety measures may be lacking. This information can then be […]

Jen Dransfield – Health & Safety Advisor, Naylor Love Canterbury Ltd Meet Jen Dransfield, the Safety Charter’s health and safety profile for April. Starting her career as a site labourer, working alongside crane operations, Jen loved working outside and getting her hands dirty. Her journey in health and safety came about due to her practical, […]

Jourdan Cambridge, Health & Safety Advisor, Apollo Projects Jourdan began her health & safety journey over 10 years ago in the construction sector, where she was fortunate to work with incredible people managing major projects and later areas of the EQ response. Her passion was ignited as a result, which has seen her work across […]

This month’s commitment is all about involving workers in the process of risk and hazard management, and why this is critical for establishing a safe workplace culture. We all know intuitively that the best people to make health and safety decisions are the ones most likely to be hurt, and also have the knowledge about […]

Think about the number of different prequalification systems and processes currently on the market. Some internal to organisations as part of a procurement process, some external and provided as a requirement to work in a particular industry. Remember when a prequalification was an expensive hygiene assessment of potential contractors before they came onto site to […]