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14 Oct

We are often asked "what health and safety documents do I need to be compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015?" In short, there is no hard and fast solution for any business in any industry. However, we know the importance of documentation.  Whether it's online or on paper. It's...
09:59 / Articles
31 Jul

A few years ago, a family owned business in Christchurch were fined $400,000 for the death of a valued employee, when heavy steel pipes being prepared for shipping slipped and cascaded onto him. The judge said the company had not developed safe work practices for handling the pipes. There was a...
09:04 / Articles
30 Jul

I first wrote the following article in March 2011. With mental health now being recognised as a prime workplace and health issue, I thought it would be pertinent to revisit this subject that is ever increasing to make the headlines. 47% of New Zealanders will experience a mental disorder such as...
10:02 / Articles
08 Jul

In the arena of health and safety in New Zealand, we are swamped with acronyms and abbreviations, that to many are meaningless, and to some, confusing. An example of this are the term JSA,  SSSP, SWMS, JSEA and others. These translate to the following: a JSA is a Job Safety Analysis; ...
11:06 / Articles
30 May

Does having safe operating procedures in your workplace equal engagement and understanding by your employees? I wish the answer was yes, but it’s definitely not. It is recommended (but not a legal requirement) for a business to have documented processes and procedures about how they are to safely use equipment, machinery, chemicals,...
10:36 / Articles / Hints and Tips
29 May

Since the new health and safety legislation came into place, the term “a prescribed person” has been appearing in several publications. So what or who is this person, and is it a restriction on the home handyman? Why is it important when it comes to health and safety management and especially when...
12:52 / Articles
25 Mar

Is contractor prequalification just about compliance to the law or about making a difference? The challenge to this statement was brought home to me a few weeks ago when I meet up with a neighbour who was spitting sparks, and said to me, "I’m in the wrong business - how do...
13:51 / Articles
27 Feb

Did you know that your business can use Hasmate for asset management, but also its vehicles, equipment, employee information, and training, and the same program can also alert you when important checks must be made? Over the past five years, there have been numerous work-site accidents involving vehicles and equipment -...
12:02 / Articles
26 Feb

Health and safety is not a topic that you would usually get emotional about, but one gets to a point when enough is enough. A couple of years ago a friend gave me the book “Tragedy at Pike River Mine: How and Why 29 Men Died” by Rebecca Macfie. He said to...
11:59 / Articles