Kick off the New Year: Health and Safety 2022 Welcome to a new year! With many changes in the workplace around pandemic planning (the big topic currently), workloads, sunny weather challenges, fatigue, fire danger and compliance requirements, once again your year begins with lots to think about and do (the joy of been a business owner). Rather be at the beach with a beverage?
Have you pulled out the health and safety policy and management system? Part of good safety management is a reassessment of the workplace health and safety risks you face in the business. Can you show reasonably practicable management of the events that could happen? Shaken the dust off or decided to try using it better this year? “Been a bit slack filling out the documents” we often hear, “but will get on to it”.
it is you as the business owner who has the responsibility to ensure you have this covered for any industry type you may be in. Sometimes an expert in this area can offer a few words of wisdom to make it run more smoothly. •
meaningful for what you want to achieve today in the safety and health space?
•
Ask for help if you’re not sure how to use the systems you have in place. Remember •
•
•
WIRED MAGAZINE
Re-sign or renew your Business Health and Safety Commitment and safety values, risk statements and PCBU, Officer documents: is it still relevant and
Reassess the workplace risks and how to controls these, have new risks and hazards appeared that you need to look at and mitigate? Are the Safe operational procedures you have still relevant or could they do with a refresh? Look at what training is required ahead for your team to stay competent and safe for the tasks and equipment you use. Give all plant and machinery a good service and check over for the new season ahead, does anything need an upgrade? $$$$ may be needed but your safety is worth it. Health checks are important: as a business have you undertaken your annual health and wellness and checks
such as hearing, vision, and spirometry or other checks as required for the work you do. Ensuring people stay healthy and having records of health checks are becoming more increasingly a requirement of the business to ensure no long-term health injury or sickness to people within the workplace.
If you are looking to see what the legislator does check out the data, they provide https://data.worksafe.govt.nz interesting reading but confronting stats also. Safety is your journey and how that goes is dependent on your commitment.
Make it a good one for your business, the team and yourself
Stay safe out there. Tight wires, straight lines and a safe workplace gets you home to the people that need you most: FAMILY. Deb and the RuralSafe team. Deb | RuralSafe | ruralsafe.co.nz
Business, Health & Safety and Environment
Ensuring good planning for workloads ahead means also looking at your health and safety for the year.
ISSUE 64 / MARCH 2022
39
