An industry study conducted by Site Safe and Massey University has investigated the negative effects of work-related stress on productivity, and the physical and emotional health of construction workers in New Zealand The paper highlights several critical factors that create undue stress among construction workers. Continue →

The death of a West Coast flooring company employee has drawn a strong warning from WorkSafe for businesses not to rely on the experience of workers in the absence of proper risk identification and management In March 2019 an employee of Coastwide Flooring Limited was installing carpet in a Greymouth building using a strong organic solvent-based adhesive. Continue →

You can have the best health and safety policies in the world – but unless staff actually use them, they won’t do much good This was the problem facing Steve Wilson, General Manager of Lower Hutt commercial signage company, Sign Foundry. Continue →

Southbase Construction introduced a forward-thinking professional development programme in 2017 to support consistency across teams and career progression The programme gives employees access to 60 micro-learning courses, each designed to help them upskill in a specific area. Continue →

With the rise of remote working, many Kiwis are using more electricity-dependent devices at home, often plugged into unattended multi-plugs, which can place a greater burden on switchboards and increase the risk of electrical fires There are approximately 5,000 building fires in New Zealand every year, with about 1,000 being electricity-oriented. Continue →

Involving staff in selecting their own personal protective equipment (PPE) has paid off for one Christchurch company, which had struggled to get workers to wear the correct gear Christchurch-based maker of the Woodsman brand of log fires, W.H Harris, sometimes had issues getting staff to wear the correct PPE, says Operations Manager Mark Streeter. Continue →

The Ministry for Primary Industries has been fined $30,000 for failing to ensure workers were not exposed to hazardous chemicals while managing an outbreak of Mycloplasma bovis In 2017 in efforts to manage an outbreak of Mycloplasma bovis, MPI contracted biosecurity company AsureQuality who in turn engaged OneStaff to provide temporary workers to assist with cleaning and disinfecting work. Continue →

New Zealand has implemented a new classification system for hazardous substances, affecting the rules for importers, manufacturers and suppliers On 30 April 2021, New Zealand adopted a new classification system for hazardous substances under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 (HSNO). Continue →

Two parties were fined a total of $63,000 after twice disregarding WorkSafe notices about unsafe work from a height, and putting workers at risk of serious harm The Judge also imposed a Project Order under section 155 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, which require both parties to prepare and present at least three safety seminars and produce an article outlining the incident and the lessons learned from it for publication in an industry magazine. Continue →

One-Design rule means all the challengers used Hydraulink products for the Foil Cant System Hydraulics helped provide the tools for this job – but the real tribute goes to the designers, crews and organisers who worked for years to make the new AC75 class the astounding spectacle it was, says Hydraulink Kiwi born director Lee Short. Continue →