A more physically active commute to work linked to 30% reduced risk of dying from heart disease and stroke People who are more active when commuting to work by walking or cycling could be cutting their relative risk of developing ischaemic heart disease or stroke by 11% and their relative risk of dying from these diseases by 30%, a study published in the journal Heart suggests. Continue →

A young boy’s lucky escape after he fell from a quad bike and was run over by the equipment being towed behind it serves as a timely reminder for farmers and families to ensure they are keeping kids off adult-sized quad bikes, as riders or passengers WorkSafe says Small farming company Greystone Holdings Limited was sentenced in Wellington District Court after an incident that occurred in July 2016, when a six-year-old was visiting the 60-acre farm owned by his grandparents during school holidays. Continue →

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) has welcomed the report on meth contamination issued by the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman, saying that accreditation and regulation in the industry were needed “There’s no room for bad actors in safety-sensitive industries when your job is to ensure that people make it home at the end of the day,” The Drug Detection Agency CEO Kirk Hardy insists. Continue →

Efforts to ease the driver shortage in the road transport industry has attracted significant numbers of female students to a Commercial Road Transport Programme being held at Manukau Institute of Technology The course, the first of its kind at MIT, aims to graduate students with learner’s class 4 driving licenses. Continue →

A Consumer NZ test of smoke alarms found ionisation-type smoke alarms performed so poorly retailers should pull them from the shelves Ionisation alarms give much less warning of smouldering fires, such as those caused by faulty electrical wiring, curtains draped over a heater, or a hot ember igniting upholstery foam, making it less likely you can get out of your home safely. Continue →

Good news for electric vehicle fleet operators and drivers with implanted cardiac devices – electric vehicles don’t interfere with pacemakers Electric and magnetic fields generated during operation and charging of electric cars does not affect function or programming of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) according to a brief research report are published in Annals of Internal Medicine Electromagnetic interference (EMI) can disrupt normal function of CIEDs, causing issues such as pacing inhibition, inappropriate shock delivery, or device reprogramming. Continue →

A Manawatū farmer says his community wants easier access to a blood test for toxic chemicals from firefighting foam, but the Health Ministry is telling them not to bother according to RNZ News The groundwater around defence bases including Ōhakea in Manawatū have been contaminated with toxic and long-lasting firefighting foam chemicals. Continue →

A new study by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) has reviewed the risks to workers when opening fumigated shipping containers   The study identifies significant gaps in preventive measures and makes recommendations that should be implemented to improve the safety and health of workers. Continue →

An IPLEX G Lite industrial videoscope featuring powerful imaging capabilities and a small, rugged body has been launched by Olympus Lightweight and able to go almost anywhere, the IPLEX G Lite videoscope provides users working in challenging environments with a remote visual inspection tool that has the image quality and ease of use to get the job done. Continue →

Global hydraulics leader Enerpac says its Australasian service centres are getting an increasing incidence of maintenance and replacement claims for non-genuine lookalike cylinders that are brought to it to fix when they break down or wear out The problem – which is particularly acute in New Zealand, but also encountered in Australia – often costs the cylinders’ owner double when they lose production time with the defective item, then can’t get it fixed under Enerpac warranty, says Enerpac New Zealand Hydraulic Specialist Neville Stuart. Continue →