Health and Safety stories
Workplace injuries may fall sharply if staff are trained, alert and equipped with cut-resistant gloves, according to safety guidance.
A Rotorua logging firm’s failure to assess live powerlines left a worker with life-changing burns and triggered the penalty.
Clear rules and staff input can stop lone-worker GPS tracking from eroding trust, while improving safety and compliance.
A near-miss after the Kaikōura earthquake exposed switch-isolation failures, prompting over GBP £200,000 in safety initiatives for the electricity sector.
Lockdowns have exposed costly staffing risks in water and wastewater plants, strengthening the case for remote monitoring and automation.
Prepared workplaces can cut fatal delays, with alarms, drills and first aid skills helping staff respond within minutes.
Contractors must now issue travel letters and display QR posters as COVID-19 rules tighten across Alert Levels 2 and 3.
New cases in South Auckland have triggered renewed calls for masks, tracing and social distancing as Auckland moves back to Alert Level 3.
Indoor alarm alerts can still fail to pinpoint lone workers because GPS signals cannot penetrate roofs, walls or thick foliage.
A badly installed roof hatch left a worker paralysed in a four metre fall, prompting over GBP £400,000 in reparations and losses.
Construction and quarry workers face a higher mesothelioma risk as scientists warn disturbed volcanic rock may release erionite fibres into the air.
WorkSafe says the penalty follows a preventable eye injury that left a worker needing emergency cardiac surgery after animal-borne infection.
With 2.8 million nonfatal workplace injuries reported in 2018, employers are being urged to stock gear that cuts risks and protects staff.
Businesses working on steep terrain face renewed scrutiny after a forestry rollover in Wellington killed a worker and left a company fined NZD $60,000.
A worker’s life was changed after a boiler flare-up at a meat plant left him with burns to 75% of his body, WorkSafe says.
A safety probe says stronger training and machine design are needed after a deckhand died trapped in still-running gear aboard a fishing trawler.
Unchecked blame, apathy and the belief that safety hurts productivity can leave reportables unchanged despite costly training and policies.
Workplace safety teams can reduce injuries and meet compliance duties by using a seven-step plan to identify and control hazards more effectively.
Its 400-plus service points across Australasia are helping customers cut costly downtime as Hydraulink adds new distributors and branches.
As use of AR and VR in industry grows, AVR Lab is providing products to ensure that devices are kept sanitary between each use.