A global survey has found that most workers would continue to work when sick with flu-like symptoms, a move that could have dire consequences in the current pandemic The Australian and international research surveyed over 500 workers, around half of which were healthcare workers. Continue →

WorkSafe has accepted an Enforceable Undertaking (EU) from Hawke’s Bay District Health Board following a 2018 accident in which a patient fell from a patient lifter while being transferred from an air ambulance to a road ambulance Head of Specialist Interventions for Worksafe Simon Humphries says the DHB had proposed a series of commitments within their application that would help ensure the incident would not happen again, not just in Hawke’s Bay but New Zealand wide. Continue →

Grant Robertson’s rainy-day Budget poured billions – with many more billions still to come – into saving and creating jobs report Dentons Kensington Swan partners Linda Clark and Hayden Wilson If the plan works (and it is still being developed to match rapidly changing economic circumstances) then New Zealand’s economy may be spared the worst of what the Prime Minister calls “dire global predictions”. Continue →

Overcoming organizational barriers to change requires 1) observation to identify your organization’s safety culture, and 2) action to improve it. Continue →

This is what work should be undertaken during the COVID-19 level four restrictions according to a Position Statement issued by the Fire Protection Association New Zealand with consultation with the Ministry of Business and Employment The extraordinary COVID-19 restrictions currently in place are all aimed at preventing the loss of lives through the reduction of person-toperson disease transmission (either directly or via contaminated surfaces). Continue →

Hand tool safety tips are useful in every workplace – almost every job calls for their use, and healthy hands are necessary for every job People who work in warehouses, construction sites, or in industrial workplaces will likely use hand tools more frequently, but even office workers use scissors, box cutters, and utility knives. 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 →

Despite being aware of the presence of asbestos, the company cut corners and carried out unsafe demolition work, says WorkSafe’s Principal Advisor for Asbestos Robert Birse Motueka company Bays Boating Limited were fined $108,000 at the Nelson District Court today following a WorkSafe prosecution for the unsafe removal of asbestos. Continue →

Robotics technology developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo makes critical bridge inspections cheaper and more reliable by automating the process The new system combines autonomous robots, cameras and lidar – a remote sensing method using lasers — to systematically collect data for defect detection and analysis. Continue →

Depending on the model selected, each NARVA’s lamp projects an intense light to the front, sides, or in zones around the vehicles The new models are designed to enhance worksite safety on a range of machines such as forklifts, elevated work platforms, excavators, loaders and tractors. Continue →