Recent events in America have raised critical questions there around the health and safety risks associated with moving dangerous goods, writes John Sanders, Senior Program Manager at US technical solutions company ABS Group For decades, industry has moved along in the background of public life. 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 →

There is more than just the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations to consider when it comes to hazardous substances and who they can be supplied to, Chemsafety Senior Hazardous Substances Specialist Janet Connochie says We have seen recent activity from the EPA about hazardous substances that are only permitted to be supplied to workplaces. Continue →

Following the 2021 sentencing of Aimex Limited whose apprentice suffered serious brain injury, it was discovered a similar incident nearly occurred a week prior but had been covered up The New Zealand Police charged William Mansfield Trevor Sullivan for making a false statement and Steven Patrick John Sullivan for perverting the course of justice. Continue →

The Environmental Protection Authority and Ministry for the Environment are consulting on a proposed infringement scheme for hazardous substances The scheme relates to EPA Notices, not WorkSafe and the HSW Hazardous Substances Regulations. Continue →

In its ongoing fight against silicosis, New Zealand’s largest and only national stone benchtop fabricator is banning engineered stone that contains more than 40 percent silica AGB Stone will phase out high-silica slabs and cease working with suppliers who cannot meet the company’s standards, calling on the rest of the industry to follow suit. Continue →

Findings from a recent WorkSafe report may shed light on why  cancer and respiratory diseases contribute to 70% of all work-related deaths in New Zealand WorkSafe, in collaboration with the Occupational Integrated Database Exposure Assessment System (OccIDEAS) team and Research New Zealand, conducted the New Zealand Carcinogens Survey to estimate the current exposure to carcinogens among New Zealand workers. Continue →

As New Zealand recovers from the recent devastation caused by extreme weather, it is a timely reminder of the hazards that mould can cause in water-damaged properties Mould refers to various types of fungi that grow on organic material that contain a lot of moisture. Continue →

Always assume that flood water (and therefore silt) is contaminated with farm run-off, chemicals, or sewage, WorkSafe says You need to take precautions when you are disturbing silt or floodwater when working.  Continue →

Refurbishing comes with some very real risks as one business learned the hard way following a case of poorly handled flooring containing asbestos Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral containing strong fibres invisible to the eye. Continue →

The latest independent review into WorkSafe NZ’s ability to carry out its regulatory responsibilities for an increasingly diverse range of workplace health and safety issues finds a growing gap between public expectations and WorkSafe outcomes Responding to WorkSafe NZ seeking additional funding to carry out its role, the just released 2021 WorkSafe Strategic Baseline Review commissioned by MBIE concluded the organisation will never have the resources to effectively undertake the ever-widening range of duties relating to ensuring safe and healthy workplaces. Continue →

On the back of Asbestos Awareness Week, three organisations are calling on businesses and tradies to do better WorkSafe, the New Zealand Demolition & Asbestos Association (NZDAA) and the Faculty of Asbestos Management of Australia and New Zealand (FAMANZ) have come together to encourage better asbestos management. Continue →

An uncontrolled release or leak of hydrocarbon gas is a health and safety risk which has the potential to cause a serious fire or explosion For businesses who design, manufacture, install, maintain, or repair air-conditioning, heat pump or refrigeration equipment, all equipment that uses hydrocarbon refrigerants must comply with the relevant safety standards and regulations. Continue →

Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) is a highly toxic, colourless gas which occurs in a variety of natural and industrial settings, with corrosive and flammable properties This quick guide is for any persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) whose work may expose workers and other people to hydrogen sulphide. Continue →

A Bay of Plenty company has been sentenced for its role in sending a dense cloud of lime dust across a motorway, causing a multi-vehicle crash which killed a driver Wealleans Bay of Plenty Limited was spreading the lime at a dairy farm next to the Tauranga Eastern Link Road on 5 February 2020, when the cloud drifted across the motorway on the wind – reducing visibility to almost nothing. Continue →

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 →

High-pressure water blasting should not be used to clean roofing and cladding containing asbestos – those who do it can be prosecuted, WorkSafe says Using high-pressure water blasting to clean roofing and cladding that contain asbestos has serious health and safety risks. Continue →

A worker is lucky to have avoided serious injury or death after trying to cut the top off of an oil drum WorkSafe was recently notified of a serious incident involving hot work being performed on an oil drum that resulted in a worker needing hospital treatment. Continue →