
Nurses not monoliths are the backbone healthcare system
A recent report by global management consultants McKinsey & Company on why nurses want to leave contains valuable lessons for New Zealand. Continue →

Liquidation no escape from health and safety accountability
An Auckland businessman is being held liable for failures that led to the death of a subcontractor, who fell from the roof of a house while spray painting
Hon Sang Cheuk was the sole director of DMJ Painters Limited, which hired the painter for the job at Bucklands Beach in June 2020. Continue →

Fixing the cybersecurity blind spot in building management
Almost every large building has systems to control and monitor power and lighting, temperature and ventilation, elevators and more, known collectively as Building Management Systems, Claroty ANZ Regional Director Lani Refiti says
Historically, Building Management Systems (BMS) were siloed with their own control facilities, connected over separate dedicated networks. Continue →

‘Girls with Hi-Vis’ tackling skill shortages at grassroots level
New Zealand’s female secondary students have had a taste of careers in the infrastructure sector – and they’ve loved it
‘Girls with Hi-Vis’ (GWHV) has seen events held nationwide throughout June to offer young women the opportunity to visit infrastructure companies in their region with their school, to try first-hand some of the skills the sector requires and to hear from other women already succeeding in the industry. Continue →

Faulty heat lamps behind recent fires
WorkSafe is putting out a safety alert after a design fault with several brands of combination heat/light/fan units has been identified as a fire hazard
An example of a plastic lamp holder. Continue →

‘I’m not their mother’ no excuse for lax health and safety
A Kaikoura employer who failed to provide appropriate eye protection has been sentenced for failings that cost a young worker his vision in one eye
Daniel Anderson, an agricultural fencing sole trader, had a 17-year-old worker who was chiselling when a piece of metal flew into his right eye in March 2020. Continue →

Chemical management systems lacking
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 →

Gross negligence caused toxic gas death
A litany of health and safety failings has been laid bare in the Wellington District Court, where Waste Management has been sentenced to pay over $800,000 for the chemical poisoning of a worker
Jim Gideon died in August 2017, after being overcome by hydrogen sulphide gas from a treatment pit at Waste Management’s facility in Seaview, Lower Hutt. Continue →

New guidance on using MEWPs in public areas
Key principles and ways to reduce likely risks when using Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) in public areas and near roads has been published by the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF)
The use of powered access to provide an effective means of access to work at height is constantly increasing worldwide as the productivity and safety benefits are recognised by businesses and employers alike, IPAF Head of Safety & Technical Brian Parker says. Continue →

Multi-purpose, safer, faster telehandlers increase productivity
The introduction of game changing 360-degree rotating telehandlers looks set to disrupt the infrastructure, civil and construction industries
The days of needing on site a mobile crane, a boom lift or other types of elevated work platforms, a forklift and an excavator are numbered – one machine can do it all. Continue →