WorkSafe New Zealand

Today is World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Businesses and workers must do everything they reasonably can to keep people healthy and safe by the reducing risk involved in their work. This year the focus is ensuring safe and healthy work in a changing climate. With a changing climate comes a heightened risk of natural events and exposure to extreme temperatures. We have information on our website on how to manage risks at work after a natural event such as working in extreme temperatures and check out the National Emergency Management Agency (NZ) guide on how you can get your business prepared. Be prepared, manage your risks, and look after each other. WorkSafe natural events and emergencies guidance: https://lnkd.in/gQkFJ8Wg

This International Workers’ Memorial Day, we remember those who never made it home from work. Even one death caused by work is too many. Businesses must do everything they reasonably can to keep work and workers safe. Work shouldn’t cause sickness, injury or death. Find out how you can keep yourself and your kaimahi healthy and safe at https://lnkd.in/gbT7VX-y

Energy Safety has extended its clampdown on Serene bathroom heaters which don’t meet New Zealand’s safety standards. We’ve taken action against the S2068, S207T and S2069 models. Find out what you need to do if you are a supplier of heaters, an installer, or have a bathroom heater at home. https://lnkd.in/guQKQcSE

A self-drive vehicle to enhance worker safety will be trialled by one of the country’s largest energy providers as part of a $1.15m agreement with WorkSafe. It follows the uncontrolled release of geothermal steam at Mercury NZ’s Rotokawa power station near Taupō in July 2021. The so-called ‘steam hammer’ event could have seriously harmed workers if they had been in the area at the time.  The investment from Mercury demonstrates a substantial commitment to health and safety with benefits to workers, industry, and the community. https://lnkd.in/gRZawdK4

Congratulations to Hans Key from WorkSafe New Zealand, who has received the Public Service Commissioner's Commendation for Excellence

Have you used SafePlus Online before? Answer our quick survey: https://bit.ly/4aonG8I If you are a small or medium sized business who has used the online tool before, WorkSafe would like to hear about your experience to understand what to improve by answering three quick questions.

A woman had her lower leg amputated after a forklift struck her in a customer collection zone at Trade Depot in August 2022. Traffic is among the risks businesses must manage, but there was no traffic management plan at this site to ensure moving vehicles and pedestrians were kept separate. Several measures could have reduced the risk, including one-way systems, barriers, designated crossing points, speed bumps or signage. Trade Depot has now been sentenced for health and safety failures.

Read about why we have prohibited the Serene Classic S2068 wall mounted bathroom heaters. There have been several fires associated with these heaters, and there's significant risk of people being harmed and property being damaged from these heaters. If you are a supplier of heaters, do work installing heaters, or have a bathroom heater at home, find out what you need to do.

We’ve accepted a binding commitment from the NZ Police to improve safety for speed camera operators, after one was critically injured in a high-speed collision on Auckland’s North Shore in 2021. More than a dozen changes to policy and processes are included in the agreement, from a health and safety review through to enhanced training for operators. The commitment enables something positive to arise from serious harm, bringing about enduring change to health and safety in a way that a fine through the courts may not have.

A 19-year-old building apprentice should not die on the job. Sadly, that’s how Ethan Perham-Turner’s story ended in March 2022, when house framing weighing 350 kilograms fell and killed him in Bay of Plenty. A mechanical aid, such as a crane truck, is the safest way to manoeuvre framing on building sites but was not used in this case. Our investigation found multiple health and safety failings contributed to the death, which two businesses have now been sentenced for.