Removing facemask requirements in healthcare facilities and lifting the Covid-19 mandatory seven-day isolation period will put the health system and those with health issues at risk as a new sub-variant emerges, experts fear New Zealanders must hold onto the values of keeping others safe, even when Government policy is no longer aligned with those values, University of Otago Associate Professor Amanda Kvalsvig says. Continue →

Businesses have an obligation to keep people safe around vehicles in the workplace, says WorkSafe New Zealand following the sentencing of a Southland business McLellan Freight Limited was contracted to load and unload palm kernel extract at a warehouse leased from South Port in Bluff. Continue →

Home-based work has many benefits but also some unique challenges – Porch’s Denisse Garcia explores what you can do to combat those challenges, and find work-life balance The term “burnout” has been thrown around workplaces for years, but what does it actually mean? Continue →

The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) has recently released resources to support the development of the Health and Safety Representative (HSR) community The HSR Knowledge Wheel is a capability framework for HSRs, articulating the knowledge, skills, and attributes that HSRs can develop to set them up for success. Continue →

Five workers were badly burned at a Central Auckland workplace after one of them ignited their lighter despite smelling gas In August last year, a barbeque gas bottle was mistakenly left running overnight in a shipping container on a Wynyard Quarter construction site. Continue →

WorkSafe NZ is stressing the requirement for employers to provide and ensure personal protective equipment (PPE) is used after Northland business was found guilty and sentenced in relation to a casual worker in who suffered a significant eye injury The victim and a supervisor were repairing orchard fencing in April 2021 when a high-tensile wire snapped, striking the 20-year-old’s left eye. Continue →

Changes could be on the way after a report revealed gaps in how we monitor chemicals in the environment and how we interpret their impact on living things The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton, is proposing changes to the way New Zealand manages chemicals to make sure their environmental impacts are not overlooked. Continue →

Following union protests over engineered stone and its association with silicosis, a debilitating and potentially fatal disease, Safe Work Australia is recommending the government prohibits its use Safe Work Australia has published the Decision Regulation Impact Statement: Prohibition on the use of engineered stone (Decision RIS). Continue →

Large variances in the quality of inspections and the abilities of inspectors have driven the Elevating Work Platform Association of New Zealand Inc. Continue →

Lithium-ion batteries – we all have them, but the risk of them exploding is serious and real, says Safety Cabinets Director Bruce Watkins A PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking) must be proactive and keep a safe workplace. Continue →