Industrial SafetyNews - March - April 2015

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FIRST WORD >> Height safety

The Health and Safety Reform Bill 2015 – a height to climb for change?

Will fines of up to $300,000 and five years imprisonment for individuals who breach their obligations have an impact on height safety, asks Gavin How Gavin How

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s a developed nation, we as New Zealanders should not perceive that anyone goes to work expecting to get hurt or killed.

However, reducing the death and injury toll in the workplace requires a radical rethink by all sections of the working community.

First and foremost, it means that enforcing safety standards must start at the top and all levels of the workforce must be accountable for their duty of care.

The new Health & Safety Reform Bill 2015 can be a major step forward in committing business owners, directors, managers and workers to do the part in reducing workplace injuries and fatalities.

But if we are to succeed in reducing workplace injuries and fatalities, enforcement of the Act has to be the strongest way to send a message to all industries that it is criminally negligent to subject workers to danger in the workplace without

all practicable steps being taken to ensure their safety. The message must be loud, clear and heard by all as everyone has to play their part in reducing NZ’s workplace injury and death toll by 25 percent by 2020.

Most of the workplace believes the Health & Safety Reform Bill is a step in the right direction. But not only must WorkSafe NZ prosecute breaches of the Act, they also must ensure everyone in the workplace understands their responsibilities and complies with the new legislation. The delivery of the new legislation must be clear and concise for businesses and workers to understand their obligations to provide a safer work environment.

Our attitude to health and safety must change. At present, regulations are being easily misinterpreted or incorrectly applied and it is difficult knowing who has what responsibilities and whether they have done enough to comply. The new Act will help clarify the duties

of the individuals in typical employment hierarchies.

Importantly, the Bill introduces the concept of a PCBU (Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking) with the Primary Duty to ensure Health and Safety. A PCBU will usually be a business entity, such as a company, rather than an individual person – unless they are a sole trader or a self-employed person.

The Act defines a worker and their duties. It places due diligence duties on officers of a PCBU (such as company directors or partners) to actively engage in health and safety matters to ensure that the PCBU complies with its duties.

If workers are to comply with the new changes, they too will need a stronger voice and this the Act provides. Workers will see greater rights involving health and safety with options to elect health and safety representatives to represent workers who carry out work for a business or undertaking.

Given that companies will be at risk of fines up to three million dollars and individuals fined up to $300,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment for reckless endangerment, the Act will persuade all sectors of the workforce that it’s now time to stand up and take action in preventing workplace injuries or death.

The Health and Safety Reform Bill is therefore to be welcomed and I am sure we all look forward to the Bill becoming an Act of Parliament. Even if this Act only saves one family from the grief and pain of the untimely loss of a loved one in a workplace accident, it will have been worthwhile.

That said there is no time to waste and there are several things that businesses can do now to make certain that they comply with the new legislation if and when it is implemented. They can, for example, talk to a height safety professional today for practical solutions which will ensure their working environment meets the minimum of safety obligations, standards compliance and good practices for working at height. They can also invest in regular programmes to train their team, which will help them reap the benefits of a safe, positive and efficient work environment where everyone feels valued and protected.

Gavin How is Marketing Manager for PBI Height Safety Ltd, which specialises in height safety and fall protection, with a dedicated focus of ‘creating a zero harm environment for the fall protection industry’

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THIS ISSUE >> March/April 2015 Comment 3 Will fines of up to $300,000 and five year’s imprisonment proposed in in the Health and Safety Reform Bill have the necessary impact on height safety operators – by Gavin How. 6-7 New Zealand is a proud farming nation, but statistics show that the health and safety record on farms is nothing to boast about – by Sherridan Cook and Alexandra Wallace 22-23 HAZMAT expert Barry Dyer says we have to stop mismanaging essential chemical products 42-43 Dexterity and ergonomics are crucial elements in making a glove choice – especially when it comes to work situations.

Worksite Health & Safety 8-9 The construction industry’s excessively long work hours, programme and budgetary pressures mean that wellbeing can be a low priority, but one key project is thinking differently as Jessica Bell reports 10-11 Occupational health took centre stage at a recent Conferenz conference aimed at reducing workrelated ill health and disease and improving work health and safety performance. Professor Ian Laird 44-45 The winner of the AWF

Group Safety Innovation Award for PPE Large Businesses came up with an 42-43 Dexterity and ergonomics are innovative solution to the prob- crucial elements in making a glove choice – especially when it comes to lem of providing effective health work situations. and safety messages to staff and NEWS sub-contractors 46 Innovations from University of Health Christchurch research

40-41 It may have been a rather unusual sleep-enhancing accessory that Dr Andrew Veale spotted online, but it helped reinforce his conviction that few of us are getting enough good-quality sleep. Fonterra steps up to protect its drivers

COVER STORY: SAFER FARMS 6-7 Buddle Findlay gives a pass mark to the new farm safety initiatives but worries about farmer acceptance 13 An outline of the Safer Farms programme and comment by Federated Farmers.

14 Why the need for a farm safety programme.

16 Landcorp sets the scene by example.

18 Safety Standards for the farming sector 19 Farming employment in crisis says the Council of Trade Unions 20 Safer farms manager Al McCone explains how it works and what the programme sets out 22 HAZMAT expert Barry Dyer about certification and training programmes in the use of farm chemicals 24 The imperative to reduce the number of vehicle accidents on the farm

COVER STORY

The National Safety Show 26 The National Safety Show in late June looks set to attract record numbers of buyers and sellers 27 Vertical Horizonz and PPE inspection course

CONTENT PARTNERS

Barry Dyer on the handling and treatment of dangerous farm chemicals – 22

Editor Geoff Picken 0212 507 559 geoff@ mediasolutions.net.nz Managing partner Phil Pilbrow 027 564 7778 or 09 489 8663 phil@mediasolutions.net.nz

Sherridan Cook is a Partner and Alexandra Wallace is a Senior Solicitor at Buddle Finlay – 6-7

Design & pre-press Jamie Laurie jlaurie@hayleymedia.com Web development Neo Chen 021 507 318 neo@appsolutions.co.nz

OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

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March/April – 2015

Gavin How is Marketing Manager for PBI Height Safety Ltd – 3

Anthony Griffin is General Manager, Commercial at Lynn River – 42-43

Anna Cassels-Brown is General Manager of People and Capability – 16

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WARNING 32 Construction industry safety 33 Top tips for looking after your back 34 Exhibitor List and risk-free bolting solutions for high temperature environments 35 Oliver creates a footwear revolution in comfort and style 36 Exhibitor List and Improved communications for isolated workers 37 Exhibitor List and Colour Grip Surfacing 38 Exhibitor List 39 Exhibitor List and Samtrac SUPPORTERS Buddle Finlay P 13, Cancer Society P 47, Colourgrip P 37, Employers and Manufacturers Association P 17, Lynn River P 31, New Zealand Red Cross P 21, NOSA P 39, Oliver Footwear P 35, PBI Height Safety P 29, 28 Site Plan and location map People Centric P 23, Perry Grating P 30 Best show yet planned for June 11, PBI Height Safety P 29, RCR P 9, and there’s still time to book exhibi- Responsible Care P 2, Sona Safe P 5, tion space St. John P 48, Technical Compliance 31 Seminars round out the agenda. Consultants P 7, Vertical Horizonz P Lynn River 27, Xpo P 1 & 25.

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Helen Kelly is President of the Council of Trade Unions – 19

Katie Milne is Federated Farmers Health and Safety Spokesperson – 13

Al McCone is New Zealand Safer Farms Manager – 20

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5

COMMENT >> The Law

by Sherridan Cook and Alexandra Wallace

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink New Zealand is a proud farming nation, but statistics show that the health and safety record on farms is nothing to boast about

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t least 120 people have died from work-related injuries on New Zealand farms since 2008. Over 21,000 workers made a farming-related injury claim to ACC in 2013 alone and 25 percent of all ACC claims arise in the farming and agricultural industry.

The cost of these fatalities and injuries to New Zealand’s primary sector is significant, and it is estimated that at least 220,000 work days are lost each year due to them.

In an effort to improve this record, WorkSafe New Zealand has collaborated with ACC and key sector organisations, such as Federated Farmers, to create the Safer Farms Programme. The programme has appropriate, albeit not overly ambitious, aims, such as to: • raise awareness and under-

standing of the major safety issues faced by people working on farms, and the costs of not taking appropriate action to keep people safe • educate duty-holders of their legal responsibilities • and provide practical resources to help reduce these risks, including best practice guides, fact sheets and practical tools to help farmers effectively manage the most significant farming hazards.

On the face of it, the programme would appear to achieve these aims.

But the real question is whether the programme will make a meaningful difference to the safety of people working in a sector that traditionally has not (at least anecdotally) embraced health and safety.

What does the programme involve?

To raise awareness and understanding, and educate duty-holders about health and safety, WorkSafe plans to: • work with training organisations and rural service providers to ensure advice about health and safety on farms, and the services

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March/April – 2015

One of the Safer Farms website’s main objectives is to encourage farmers to make a health and safety management plan. It does this, somewhat innovatively, by allowing users to quickly create such a plan based on their farms’ particular characteristics

provided, are consistently meeting the best practice guidance that it provides develop and support regional • feedback and safety leadership groups to ensure industry and worker participation in health and safety issues that matter to them • coordinate its programme activity with industry sector and community-led safety initiatives • develop and deliver a farming health and safety education programme in rural schools • and ensure the collection and provision of targeted research and up-to-date information on national and regional injury statistics.

WorkSafe will also continue its on-farm safety assessments and will bring enforcement action targeted at areas of greatest risk.

A key part of the programme has been the development of the www. saferfarms.org.nz website, which is intended to provide a user-friendly platform for all farmers to learn

about and proactively manage their health and safety risks and obligations in a context-specific forum.

The website is relatively informative and contains detailed information and guidance to all those involved in farms (whether it be a farm owner, employee, principal or contractor) about their legal health and safety obligations and the steps that are likely to be “reasonably practicable” to take to ensure their health and safety.

Helpfully, the information and guidance goes beyond the well-publicised risks of using vehicles and machinery on farms. It contains specific guidance on health and safety around livestock, recognising that animals are unpredictable and cause a large proportion of the injuries suffered on farms.

It also encourages farmers to take a holistic approach to ensuring their worker’s health and safety by promoting reasonable working hours and rest breaks to avoid fatigue, providing minimum standards of worker accommodation, and mon-

itoring workers’ mental health, use of alcohol and drugs and gambling.

The guidance also requires farmers to consider children and young people who may be visiting, living and/or working on a farm, which is a particular risk given their frequent presence on farms. The website even has a link for farmers to report farm accidents directly to WorkSafe.

But one of the website’s main objectives is to encourage farmers to make a health and safety management plan. It does this, somewhat innovatively, by allowing users to quickly create such a plan based on their farms’ particular characteristics. We created a plan in about five minutes, although it would take much longer to work through all the tasks.

Will the programme help to reduce farm fatalities and injuries?

Despite these tools, the question remains whether farmers will be willing to change. As a general observation, there has been a reluc-

“We suggest that while the Safer Farms Programme will generate awareness about health and safety risks and obligations, and provides useful and practical tools to ensure those obligations are met, it may not create the cultural shift that WorkSafe desires and farmers need” tance amongst farmers to address health and safety issues, which is probably rooted in New Zealanders’ “she’ll be right” attitude.

This is demonstrated in farmers’ persistent unsafe use of quad bikes, despite their involvement in approximately 850 injuries and five fatalities per year.

For example, a farming couple in Blenheim continued to use their quad bikes without helmets (and often with their small children as passengers) despite having been issued with prohibition notices by WorkSafe.

As a result, they were each fined $20,000. However, despite the injuries, fatalities and fines, problems with quad bikes continue to be prevalent throughout the farming community.

This cultural reluctance to address health and safety indicates that drastic action is required if WorkSafe wants to make an appreciable impact on the number of injuries on our farms.

We suggest that while the Safer Farms Programme will generate awareness about health and safety risks and obligations, and provides useful and practical tools to ensure those obligations are met, it may not create the cultural shift that WorkSafe desires and farmers need.

The best practice guides within

the programme are just that – reasonable working hours and con- in the Health and Safety Reform Bill guidance. WorkSafe accepts the ditions, the Council of Trade Unions that is currently before Parliament guides as representative of the (CTU) has also criticised the Safer If passed, that legislation will minimum standards each farm is ex- Farms Programme. It says that the impose personal liability on farm pected to meet. programme does not go far enough “officers” (i.e. people that make deHowever, there is an inherent un- in addressing farm workers’ poor cisions that affect the whole or a derstanding that farmers are best employment conditions. substantial part of a farm, such as positioned to assess, understand It highlighted that farmers work farm managers). and control the risks faced on their an average of 51 hours per week Therefore may be more effective own farms, and may choose not to for just $17.34 per hour, and that in creating a cultural change from follow the guides if they believe the 67 percent of employers report that the top. recommended steps are not reason- they have not provided any formal It will also put in place more ably practicable for them. training to their staff. The CTU says specific obligations for duty holders The guidelines do not direct farm- that it is these employment prac- (including in respect of plant, which ers to manage their health and tices that cause the large number would cover farm machinery and safety in any particular way, and do of injuries and fatalities on farms. vehicles) and greater penalties not carry the legislative weight that It considers that more regulations, against non-compliant duty holders. an act or supporting regulations together with more active enforceThis should drive home the need would achieve. ment by WorkSafe, are required to for all farmers to ensure the health Therefore, we expect that many create any meaningful change. and safety of everyone on their farmers will not adopt the best pracfarms. tice guides in the same way they The future It will also provide the backbone would if they knew that it was exThe need for a cultural shift on against which the Safer Farms Propressly unlawful for them not to. farms is the same need that resulted gramme can successfully operate.

The sheer amount of work recommended by the guides may also be overwhelming for many farmers (particularly those who have no health and safety measures in place at all).

This, together with the cultural reluctance to change the status quo, may mean that despite WorkSafe’s hard work, the Safer Farms Programme does not significantly Sherridan Cook is a Partner and Alexandra Wallace is a Senior Solicitor at reduce the number of injuries.

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MANAGEMENT

Wellness programmes provide positive results for both employers and employees The construction industry’s excessively long work hours, programme and budgetary pressures mean that well-being can be a low priority, but one key project is thinking differently as Jessica Bell reports

The Alliance has developed and implemented a broad range of initiatives to improve the well-being of the workforce – Safespine, for example, is a musculoskeletal education and conditioning programme

T

he team behind the largest project in New Zealand’s history is running a comprehensive well-being programme offering staff wellness checks, weight-loss programmes, literacy support and more.

The Well-Connected Alliance is constructing the $1.4bn Waterview Connection, a 4.8km, six-lane motorway between Auckland’s southwestern (SH20) and northwestern (SH16) motorways.

The Waterview Connection is clearly a demanding build in terms of programme and budget, so why does the team bother with well-being?

“It’s about engagement…”says the Well-Connected Alliance’s Health and Safety Manager Chris Haefele. “… when people are happier, they are more engaged and therefore more productive.”

Indeed, research indicates that employees working in organisations that implement wellness

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March/April – 2015

programmes tend to be more committed, more motivated, and more responsive to business and customer needs.

On a commercial level, focusing on well-being simply makes good economic sense: with over 700 staff currently employed on the Waterview Connection, the cost of poor health through absenteeism and presenteeism is simply too large.

So how does a NZ$1.4B tunnel project operating across five different work sites implement a well-being programme that sticks?

Well-being in practice Since construction started in 2012, the Alliance has developed and implemented a broad range of initiatives to improve the well-being of the workforce, including: • the Safespine programme – a musculoskeletal education and conditioning programme that teaches participants correct lifting and injury prevention techniques.

This benefits both site staff who are doing physical labour and often lifting heavy items and office-based staff who are sitting in the same position for very long periods of time; both of which are harmful to backs and can increase the risk of back injury.

Learning-led initiatives • Step Up – a literacy development programme that offers workplace reading-and-writing training to site staff during work hours. Course work is related to their roles on the project, and site staff receive unit standards.

The benefits of this programme are two-fold – staff have a better understanding of the safety, quality and environmental policies and outside of work, they are better equipped to help their children out with homework, read and write for leisure etc. This also improves future employment opportunities.

• producing a monthly well-being

newsletter for all staff • s ubsidised entry to numerous sporting events – for example the Tough Guy/Tough Gal mud run , Round the Bays walk/run • corporate partnership with the Cancer Society – In late 2013, the Well-Connected Alliance signed a formal partnership with the Cancer Society to work together to promote better lives within the WCA and the communities we work in.

This partnership is particularly pertinent to the Alliance team as it is a special way to remember one of our staff members, Dennis, who passed away from cancer last year.

The Alliance supports the Cancer Society in a number of ways including: • painting the gantry crane that is constructing four new viaducts yellow to act as beacon of hope and increase awareness for the work of the Cancer Society • cooking dinner for residents undergoing treatment for cancer at the DomainLodge in Grafton • participating in the Relay for Life, a 24-hour event that saw the Alliance raise over $5,000 for the Cancer Society • entering a team in the 2014 Ride to Conquer Cancer – an Alliance team raised over $20,000 by participating in the 200km bike ride, which was designed to promote awareness of cancer research • running a 12 week Weightloss Challenge – The Well-Connected Alliance brought in nutritionists to run the program, and talk to all participants about healthy eating and lifestyle behaviours. Over 125 people from across the site participated in the challenge and a number of participants lost more than 10 kilograms • ladies and men’s health seminars in October and November with guest speakers on healthy eating, diabetes and cancer prevention • having a site-wide, smoke-free day on Monday 31 May. Staff were sponsored to go smokefree for one whole shift to encourage them to quit smoking. This was particularly important on the site as the tunnel construction team are not allowed to smoke at all

within the tunnel. Going “smokefree for one shift” was a sign of support/solidarity for the tunnel team. All proceeds raised were donated to the Heart Foundation • participating in Stoptober – a nationwide “quit smoking” initiative • flu vaccinations - free flu vaccinations are offered to all staff and over 45 percent of the workforce (300 people) have taken the offer of free flu vaccines • first aid training – first aid training is provided to staff in levels well above the legal requirement to develop skills that are not only applied in the workplace, but also at home.

A holistic approach to well-being But it hasn’t all been plain sailing.

Implementing a well-being programme on a project of this size and scale presents a number of challenges including: • geographic location – The Waterview Connection project employs over 700 staff spread across five separate sites – from Waterview in the north to Wiri and East Tamaki in the south – so getting

engagement/cohesion across all the sites is an ongoing challenge • shift patterns – a number of operations on site have a 24-hour shift cycle, meaning a number of events cannot be attended by certain staff • a diverse workforce – a large number of staff are physical workers, but there is also a large number of office-based staff – a one-size fits all approach to well-being therefore does not apply • balancing time needed for initiatives with programme and productivity demands.

Key to overcoming these challenges has been developing a well-being strategy that is embedded within the safety culture. H&S Manager Chris Haefele emphasises the importance of selecting wellness initiatives that are tailored for the audience and provide tangible benefits for both employer and employee.

The Safespine Programme, for example, reduces potential for workplace injury while promoting spinal health. By teaching site teams

how to lift and move correctly, the Alliance is significantly reducing their risk of injury in the workplace and at home, while providing them with knowledge and skills to protect the health of their backs in the long term. By teaching our office-based staff to sit and move correctly, we reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries and associated losses of time and cost through rehabilitation.

It’s about a proactive rather reactive approach to safety management – preventing injuries before they happen by equipping personnel with the skills, equipment and knowledge to protect themselves. Indeed many initiatives improve safety outcomes as much as they improve the well-being of the employee.

Looking forward Up to this point the Alliance’s wellness programme has been a largely top-down approach, however it is well-recognised that creating lasting workplace change requires greater employee engagement.

The Alliance’s goal for 2015 is therefore to generate more

employee-ownership for the well-being programme, whereby staff identify initiatives they would like to be involved in and then run them.

This is where the future of well-being programmes lies, and how the Alliance believes theirs can be most effective.

There are already a number of employee-initiated activities happening across the project, including inter-site touch rugby and soccer teams, and team trips to Snowplanet, Auckland’s indoor skiing and snowboarding facility. The Alliance’s challenge in 2015 will be to generate more such initiatives.

Jessica Bell is Regional Communications Advisor for the Well-Connected Alliance, which comprises the NZ Transport Agency, Fletcher Construction, McConnell Dowell Constructors, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Beca Infrastructure, Tonkin and Taylor, and Japanese construction company Obayashi Corporation

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9

H E A LT H

Creating healthy workplaces – now and in the future Occupational health took centre stage at a recent conference aimed at reducing workrelated ill health and disease and improving work health and safety performance

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everal challenges threaten the work, workplace, home and lifestyle factors that determine a worker’s health, a leading academic told the recent Occupational Health Conference at the Conferenz Safety 360 health event and industry expo.

“These include a combination of both global and issues specific to New Zealand,” says Ian Laird, Associate Professor at the Centre for Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Health, School of Public Health, College of Health, Massey University, Palmerston North.

Global issues include: • existing (and new) uncontrolled health hazards • the changing nature of work • the changing nature of the workforce • the changing nature of the work environment • chronic and long-term conditions • technology • risk communication

• o ccupational health in developing countries • and occupational health workforce capacity and capability.

Issues specific to New Zealand involve: • the visibility, awareness and understanding of occupational health in industry and New Zealand society in general • a focus on acute injury and trauma • the generalised legislative framework • small- and medium-sized businesses • the national strategy for occupational health • national and industry-based targets for occupational health • surveillance and monitoring • occupational health workforce capacity and capability • research in occupational health • and expectations on the new regulator.

The Independent Taskforce into

“There is a compelling case for repositioning of occupational health and a real opportunity for occupational health to make the business case for health and wellbeing interventions based around the workplace and employment”

Workplace Health and Safety in New Zealand reviewed and identified key factors for improving the current performance of the health and safety system in New Zealand and made specific recommendations in relation to the local legislative framework.

The government’s response to the Taskforce Report came in the form of the Working Safer; A blueprint for health and safety at work document, and the subsequent Health and Safety Reform Bill will certainly influence occupational health, the professor believes.

“There is a primary focus on the management of all risks arising from work,” he notes. “General duty requires the health of workers and conditions at the workplace to be monitored to prevent injury or illness.”

The Bill also requires a National Strategy and Action Plans. “There is a requirement for the Ministry of Health to report work-related notifiable disease and hazardous substances injury to the regulator, and there must be an effective process for information sharing between regulatory agencies.”

In addition, there are a number of positive features in the occupational health context including the elimination of risk; the concept of due diligence; duties in relation to “Officers” and substantial penalties for noncompliance.

Cause for concern The paper does, however, outline some specific concerns in relation to the Bill that impact occupational health, the professor adds.

“The case for moving to the Australian “Model Act” is not overly persuasive as there is little evidence of any impact on key national health and safety performance indicators, particularly occupational health targets,” Professor Laird believes.

“It also isn’t Australia-wide as Victoria and Western Australia have explicitly decided to retain their ex-

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March/April – 2015

The case for moving to the Australian “Model Act” is not overly persuasive as there is little evidence of any impact on key national health and safety performance indicators, particularly occupational health targets, says Associate Professor at the Centre for Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Health at Massey University Professor Ian Laird

isting OHS Acts; hence the concept of an Australia-wide law is mistaken and yet was promoted as a solution to a New Zealand problem.”

He also believes there are problems with the design of the Australian Model Act that further affect its intended role as a template for local legislation.

“The Australian “Model Act” was designed for a specific purpose, primarily for harmonisation, which is different from the specific objective of the review of the New Zealand legislative system – to design legislation that is ‘fit for purpose’ in the New Zealand context.”

Nor does the new Bill provide clear compliance guidelines, unlike the HSE Act 1992 which had a “relatively clear” framework for compliance (Sections 7-10).

“This isn’t evident, in my opinion, in the Health and Safety Reform Bill,” Professor Laird says. “Small businesses will have no idea how to comply, particularly in relation to occupational health hazards and exposures.”

These problems can be overcome to a greater or lesser extent, the professor maintains, by creating healthy workplaces; the definitions of which have evolved greatly over the past several decades.

“From an almost exclusive focus on the physical work environment that was the realm of traditional occupational health and safety and dealt with physical, chemical, biological and ergonomic stressors, the definition has broadened to include health practice factors or lifestyle, psychosocial factors like work organisation and workplace culture, and a link to the community; all of which can have a profound effect on worker health.”

The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific defines a healthy workplace as follows: “A healthy workplace is a place where everyone works together to achieve an agreed vision for the health and well-being of workers and the surrounding community.

“It provides all members of the workforce with physical, psychological, social and organizational conditions that protect and promote health and safety.

“It enables managers and workers to increase control over their own health and to improve it, and to become more energetic, positive

and contented.”

He says three things are clear from this small sampling of healthy workplace definitions, as well as others in the published literature: • employee health is now generally assumed to incorporate the WHO definition of health (physical, mental and social) and to be far more than merely the absence of physical disease • a healthy workplace in the broadest sense is also a healthy organisation from the point of view of how it functions and achieves its goals - employee health and corporate health are inextricably intertwined • a healthy workplace must include health protection and health promotion.

Drivers for change A possible road map for future development of New Zealand healthy workplaces could be The UK Council for Work and Health (2014) report Planning the future; Delivering a vision of good work and health in the UK for the next 5-20 years and the profession-

al resources to deliver it.

“This report presents a vision of how occupational health should be delivered in the UK over the next 20 years and to identify the mediumand long-term workforce planning that is needed to support that vision,” Professor Laird explains.

The strategic analysis suggested five main driving forces for change over the next 20 years, including the economic situation and availability of funding; demographic shifts in the UK working population; the pattern of chronic and long-term conditions; technology and education and training.

The paper identifies key drivers in the New Zealand context include; • commitment – at the political, industry, employer, worker representation/union level • awareness of health (occupational) issues in New Zealand society • strategic approach • small enterprise approach • seriously focus on targets and indicators • increase our capacity and capability in occupational health.

Given this scenario it might even be time to ditch the term “occupational health”, the professor reflects, noting that Aberdeen Occupational Physician Gordon Shepherd recently suggested the term “occupational health” be ditched in favour of “work health”.

“There is a compelling case for repositioning of occupational health and a real opportunity for occupational health to make the business case for health and well-being interventions based around the workplace and employment”.

Regardless of the name, however, he insists that “things must change and carrying on as at present is not an option” as occupational health today is multi-disciplinary and practitioners need a high level of technical skills and understanding of the contributions all the occupational health and safety disciplines play. “Occupational practitioners of the future will have challenges not yet evident in the workplace today,” Professor Laird predicts. “We need to equip and support them in the best possible way to succeed.”

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11

COVER STORY >> Safer Farms

Cutting the cost of the crop

A bold, new six-year plan that aims to reduce the appalling number of accidents and fatalities on New Zealand farms has been launched by several key industry players

Between 2008-2014 there were 120 fatalities on farms

IN 2014 20 people died on farms – more than 40% of workplace deaths throughout New Zealand last year

THE COST TO YOU, THE COST TO NEW ZEALAND 1 in 5 pastoral workers claim for ACC every year

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March/April – 2015

Agriculture sectors have the highest and 3rd highest injury rates across all New Zealand employment groups

ACTUAL ACC AGRICULTURE COST

$171 MILLION (2008-2013)

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he Safer Farms programme designed by farmers, the agricultural sector, WorkSafe New Zealand and the Accident Compensation Corporation has been welcomed by Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse.

“More people die working on farms than in any other industry in New Zealand and too many are seriously injured - Safer Farms aims to change that,” Mr Woodhouse says.

“Safer Farms is a new way of tackling a long-standing problem hurting rural New Zealand - it’s about education, awareness and support for rural communities.”

Some 120 people have been killed working on New Zealand farms since 2008, he notes, with four times as many fatalities last year compared to the forestry or construction industries. “The death and injury rate behind the farm gate is simply unacceptable. Someone is killed every fortnight – this needs to change.”

Mr Woodhouse says, however, that the number of deaths and injuries on farms won’t be reduced by the government sending out more inspectors. “Only farmers can directly influence this toll and Safer Farms aims to help them do this by finding health and safety solutions that work,” he believes.

“Farmers have told us they want more information and engagement, so Safer Farms will work with farmers and rural communities to manage their own health and safety.”

The Safer Farms programme takes the health and safety message directly to rural communities through rural retailer education, school pro-

grammes, ‘how to’ sessions at field days, and rural industry groups who will help provide onsite training.

“The government is committed to reducing workplace death and serious injury and Safer Farms will help us achieve this in the farming industry, while maintaining the quality and production of our primary industries which contribute significantly to our economy.”

The Safer Farms programme includes an easy-to-use toolkit and a comprehensive online resource at www.saferfarms.org.nz designed to provide farmers with clear health and safety advice and information on best health and safety practices.

A series of launch events were held around New Zealand beginning in early February to mark the start of the Safer Farms campaigns, which has been welcomed by the industry’s leading organisation, Federated Farmers.

Risk reduction The farmer-member advocacy organisation hopes the Safer Farms campaign will provide an impetus to getting farmer attention on farm safety according to Federated Farmers Health and Safety Spokesperson Katie Milne, who says the rate of accidents on New Zealand farms is far too high.

“Farmers work in an intrinsically dangerous outdoors environment - there are natural hazards, large animals and powerful machinery,” she observes. “But too many farmers just take that risk for granted and don’t do much or anything to reduce that risk.”

Ms Milne believes “we have a bad

culture towards our safety” in New Zealand. “I hope that Safer Farms’ information and help with actual farm situations will have farmers taking it on board and reducing the number of farmers and their workers being injured or killed on farms.”

Federated Farmers is therefore working closely with WorkSafe to ensure the Smarter Farms programme gets “a lot of buy-in” in terms of how to approach farmers because the figures clearly show that harm on farms hasn’t reduced over the years. “There hasn’t been a lot of work on farms with WorkSafe or the Department of Labour as it was – they’ve come onto the farm when something has gone drastically wrong but there have been very few inspections,” Ms Milne notes.

However, she believes that technology has already helped reduce the amount of serious accidents and deaths of farms. “A good example is power take-offs, which saw the farmer having to get in and out of the tractor to adjust an implement on the back, leading to accidents, but modern tractors now have buttons on the mudguards to turn the machine on and off.”

Technology-wise there’s not a lot more that can be done so farmers now have to think differently about their health and safety and risk on farms.

“This means not paying it lip service in trying to avoid getting ‘pinged’ by WorkSafe, but make it ingrained into thinking about how they go about doing their daily jobs so that they are thinking about risk and doing things safely,” she believes. “For generations we haven’t

done that, we’ve just gone out and worked.”

Federated Farmers is working on a lot of programmes advising farmers what to do in certain work situations and regarding legislative requirements, but is hamstrung until the select committee considering the Health and Safety Reform Bill reports back by the due date of 30 March this year.

“We can’t really do anything until we find out how that will fall,” Ms Milne admits. “It’s a difficult time to be proactive with our members, but if anyone inquires we advise them how WorkSafe has been interpret-

Continued on page 14

Federated Farmers Health and Safety Spokesperson Katie Milne: We do have inherently unique factors and dangers that come into play – we can’t alter that but we can manage it

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COVER STORY >> Safer Farms Landcorp provided WorkSafe with access to its Safety Focus Group to run ideas past as well as the resources that it uses successfully on its 137 farms

Continued from page 13 ing the law and what they need to do to comply.”

Owner-oriented That said, evidence- and riskbased plans are being developed so that farmers can genuinely take ownership of the safety issues on their farm once the situation becomes clearer. “This will allow them to develop some mechanisms or rules as to how they will handle those issues instead of WorkSafe

coming in and advising them prescriptively that they’re breaking the law,” Ms Milne says, adding that “being too prescriptive can sometimes stifle innovation.”

She notes, however, that farming differs from manufacturing and construction, where the safety position is more straightforward and the rules reflect that situation. “We do have inherently unique factors and dangers that come into play – we can’t alter that but we can manage it,” Ms Milne believes. “WorkSafe figures show there are more than

1,300 dairy animal and very nearly as many sheep and beef injuries a year from animal contact - we can do something about that.”

Despite the restrictions imposed by the legislative process, Federated Farmers has received “pretty honest” feedback at the various launch events held to date. “Farmers who have spoken have given examples of things that have gone badly for them or their neighbours – not shying away from the fact that we have issues but saying that we want a hand to get through this and

badges and fines isn’t the way to do it,” Ms Milne reveals.

“Badges and fines may have a place in extreme circumstances but to get genuine, lasting change that approach and style has to change – and WorkSafe agrees.”

Federated Farmers will continue hosting seminars or field days to inform its members regarding the legislation and how to devise and implement a good health and safety plan.

“There’s a lot planned, but it’s still in the formulative stages as it does

Why a farm safety programme?

F

arming kills more people than any other sector in New Zealand – 41 people have died working on farms in the last two years.

That’s four times the number of fatalities in either forestry or construction. There are also thousands of serious injuries that lead to a loss of productivity and income for farmers.

Farmers, their families and farming communities are directly affected, and bear the emotional and financial cost of deaths and injuries on the farm.

This is why WorkSafe New Zealand is partnering with farmers and their families, sector organisations, and the rural community as a whole on Safer Farms, a comprehensive farm safety information and education campaign.

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March/April – 2015

Safer Farms is a new way of working. It is a multi-year programme jointly funded by ACC. It aims to increase farmer awareness and understanding of their risks, support farmers to manage their safety, and build local and sector farm safety leadership.

It will achieve this by: • providing an easy-to-use toolkit and a comprehensive online resource – www.saferfarms. org.nz – so that farmers have clear health and safety advice and information • a widespread media campaign in newspapers, magazines, on radio and online helping farmers identify and manage risks • a seasonal information and education cam-

paign highlighting the risks and how to manage them when they arise through the year (eg calving, shearing, picking) • working with rural retailers to help them incorporate safety messages when dealing with farmers • training programmes to be delivered alongside rural stakeholder groups • education and information for rural kids delivered through school programmes and Dairy NZ’s Rosie’s World website.

Safer Farms was not developed in isolation: it was built with extensive input from farmers, their communities and the sector to ensure the focus was on helping farmers to take ownership of their health and safety.

hinge on the final legislation.”

An added problem is that farming is an industry of aging demographics. “The average age of our farmers is nearly 60 so there are some pretty old dogs there we have to teach some new tricks, and that’s not going to be done easily if it’s not approached and handled the right way.”

Areas of most concern to Federated Farmers include the ubiquitous quad bikes, though Ms Milne is quick to point out that there are also “a lot of accidents” handling animals.

“Quad bikes have taken the place of tractors because they are convenient,” she observes.

ufacturers, but many farmers are pressing ahead regardless. “A very high percentage in our surveys see value in rollover protection for quad bikes and rate that a lot higher than a helmet when it comes to safety,” Ms Milne explains. “They know what’s killing farmers on quad bikes and they respond to that.”

She believes statistics show that a

protection. “If it’s compelling and on video farmers will look at it more positively – we are all very visual learners after all.”

It’s an area where product testing is being conducted and a lot of options are available – although it’s very much horses for courses. “Australia is doing lot of work in this area and some of the rollover protection

“More people die working on farms than in any other industry in New Zealand and too many are seriously injured - Safer Farms aims to change that”

Rollover reduction Some farmers have already seen the light with regard to quad bike safety and have taken to rollover protection to try and remove the risk of mechanical asphyxiation, one of the biggest factors in quad bike deaths that sees the victim crushed under the machine and suffocated.

Rollover protection isn’t generally recommended by quad bike man-

helmet doesn’t provide a lot of protection in a serious harm or death accident, but it’s another area where technological improvement may make a difference. “Tractor rollover protection videos are just so compelling,” Ms Milne insists.

In fact, she’s already suggested WorkSafe test a couple of standard quad bikes by throwing them down a hill and then repeating the process with bikes fitted with rollover

can do as much harm as good,” Ms Milne adds. “It’s the same with spray tanks – if they’re too big they cause problems on slopes but it’s another example of the kind of thing we can think about from a health and safety point of view and cause cultural change.”

Given the enormity of the task, Ms Milne is being extremely pragmatic and merely hopes that in two years there’s a reduction in farm accidents

and that trend continues. “Realistically, given all the factors that come into play, there are some inherent dangers that are always going to be there and there’s always going to be some tragic accidents,” she concludes.

“The government wants a 25 percent reduction in workplace deaths across the board so it would be nice to think we could do a bit more and provide a higher portion of that share but we’ll have to wait and see what happens, how quick the uptake is and how quick we can get a change in attitude and get people to think differently.”

Frightening Facts »» farming has the highest number of accidents and deaths in New Zealand: »» 120 people have died from work-related farm injuries on New Zealand farms since 2008 »» out of 43 fatalities in 2013-2014, 37 involved vehicles or machinery »» 220,000 work days are lost annually due to farm related injuries.

www.isn.co.nz

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COVER STORY >> Safer Farms

All new Landcorp employees are shown the safety video that forms the basis of the organisation’s internal “Play It Safe” initiative, the results of which were shared with WorkSafe as part of its Safer Farms programme research

Creating safer farms in practice

N

ew Zealand’s largest farmer has played an active role in helping WorkSafe develop the Safer Farms campaign.

Landcorp was well underway developing its own internal safety campaign when the initial conversations with WorkSafe started.

General Manager of People and Capability Anna Cassels-Brown recalls that when she started at Landcorp there were “plenty” of systems and paperwork in place yet an unacceptable number of staff were still getting hurt at work.

“We realised we needed to capture people’s hearts and minds and change existing mental models around getting hurt being part of the job,” she says. “We realised part of the problem was that people viewed safety as a compliance issue rather than simply part of doing the job.”

Landcorp launched its internal safety “Play It Safe” programme at the start of 2014 with a roadshow and safety video which was delivered to every one of the organisation’s 692 permanent staff and their families, and is also played to new employ-

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March/April – 2015

ees to ensure that safety is top of mind every day they’re working for Landcorp.

An important component of both the video and the Play It Safe campaign was a high-profile spokesperson that farmers could relate to, who could talk to them in their language and who had “been there and done that”.

Former All Black Richard Loe was the perfect fit, attending the initial 15 regional launches with Chief Executive Steve Carden and the executive team and continuing to be involved with the safety programme.

“For us the Play it Safe campaign is much more than a video for Landcorp – the programme has been designed as a two-to-three-year campaign with a raft of materials and activities to back up the core messages,” Ms Cassels-Brown adds.

The campaign is now in its second year and the corporation is seeing a significant increase in reporting of the near misses that are shared across the organisation: the latest half year saw a 219 percent jump in

reports of near-miss and first aid incidents compared with the previous corresponding period.

The half-year report noted, “Our people are discussing safety and have a greater awareness of the value of reporting incidents with the learnings that follow. Landcorp is moving to adopt industry best-practice measures of workplace injury and of time lost due to injuries.

These will be reported for 2014/15 and beyond.”

Results such as these mean Landcorp is in a position to be able to make a strong contribution to safety leadership in the agricultural sector in New Zealand, Ms Cassels-Brown believes. “We are thrilled to be able to share with WorkSafe our learnings around what worked and what didn’t in our campaign.”

Landcorp also provided WorkSafe with access to its Safety Focus Group – a team of farm employees who represent farm views – to run ideas past and the resources that are used successfully on farm to drive home the Play It Safe message.

The collaboration has also seen

“There is no one solution for the problem – rather a multi-facted approach is needed.”

Anna Cassels-Brown

Richard Loe engaged for the launch of the Safer Farms campaign, which it is hoped will achieve the same positive results as Play It Safe did for Landcorp. “Key to our involvement with WorkSafe has been a shared view that we can reduce harm on New Zealand farms and that there is no one solution for the problem – rather a multi-faceted approach is needed,” Ms Cassels-Brown concludes.

www.isn.co.nz

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COVER STORY >> Safer Farms

Setting farm safety standards Agricultural safety is a key area for standards that help farmers prevent injury and death, improve farm safety, and protect workers and stock from harm Two standards help to protect farmers from harm when using chainsaws

T

he broad range of agricultural safety standards covers everything from helmets for quad bikes, electrical installations in dairy sheds, tractor safety, chainsaw safety and mobile elevating work platforms to personal protection and managing flood risk.

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may also help farmers and farm vets recognise when stray voltages are affecting cows.

Quad bike helmets Many farm accidents involve quad bikes. One of the best ways to prevent injury when using a quad bike is to always wear a suitable helmet.

NZS 8600:2002 All-terrain vehicle helmets provides the requirements for robust protective helmets and helps to reduce the severity of head injuries from both quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles.

Tractor safety Two standards help keep farmers safe when using tractors: AS/NZS 2153.1:1997 Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry – Technical means for ensuring safety – General covers the design of tractors to help prevent accidents and provides advice for improving safety.

AS/NZS 2153.3:1997 Tractors and machinery for agriculture and forestry – Technical means for ensuring safety – Tractors covers the safety requirements to be met when designing tractors.

Electrical installations in dairy sheds Dairy farmers strive to keep their cows healthy and contented but stray voltage in dairy sheds can agitate the animals and negatively affect their milk flow.

SNZ HB 6117:2014 Electrical installations in dairy sheds provides the correct electrical installation practices for new dairy sheds to reduce the exposure of cows to stray voltage.

It also includes recommendations for upgrading existing dairy sheds where there are problems with stray voltage.

The handbook is often used by electricians and electrical designers who help build dairy sheds, but it

Chainsaw safety Two standards help to protect farmers from harm when using chainsaws: AS/NZS 60745.2.13:2010 Handheld motor-operated electrical tools – Safety – Particular requirements for chainsaws provides safety requirements to protect users against hazards when using chainsaws, and also helps ensure chainsaws are safe for sale or for connection to the local mains electricity supply.

AS/NZS 4453.3:1997 Protective clothing for users of hand-held chainsaws – Protective legwear covers requirements for the design of protective trousers and leggings for users of hand-held chainsaws.

March/April – 2015

Mobile elevating work platforms Falls and tip-overs from mobile elevating work platforms (MEWP) are a leading cause of accidents. AS/ NZS 1418.10:2011 Cranes, hoists and winches – Part 10: Mobile elevating work platforms recognises that MEWPs used in horticulture areas like orchards may require specific design requirements to reduce the risks.

AS/NZS 1891.4:2009 Industrial fall-arrest systems and devices – Part 4: Selection, use and maintenance specifies how to select components that are appropriate for the required use.

Personal protection Several personal protective equipment standards help farmers and farm workers guard their body, ears, eyes, face, feet, hands, and lungs from harm.

Body – AS/NZS 4501.1:2008 Occupational protective clothing – Guidelines on the selection, use, care and maintenance of protective clothing helps farmers make decisions about the selection, use, care, and maintenance of protective clothing.

Ears – AS/NZS 1269.2:2005 Occupational noise management – Noise control management covers the requirements to manage noise and applies to all types of workplaces and to all types of sounds. AS/NZS 1270:2002 Acoustics – Hearing protectors, meanwhile, outlines the

requirements for the design and testing of hearing protectors.

Eyes and face – AS/NZS 1337.1:2010 Personal eye-protection – Eye and face protectors for occupational applications specifies the requirements for the non-prescription eye and face protectors that guard against common industrial hazards like flying particles, dusts, splashing materials, and harmful gases.

Feet – AS/NZS 2210.3:2009 Occupational protective footwear – Specification for safety footwear specifies requirements for safety footwear incorporating protective features to protect the wearer from injuries.

Hands – AS/NZS 2161.2:2005 Occupational protective gloves – General requirements covers glove construction, safety, and marking of occupational protective gloves.

AS/NZS 2161.10.2:2005 Occupational protective gloves – Protective gloves against chemicals and micro-organisms – Determination of resistance to penetration details the tests required to ensure that these gloves will provide a barrier to biologically hazardous material.

Lungs – AS/NZS 1715:2009 Selection, use and maintenance of respiratory protective equipment (RPE) includes guidelines to help farmers choose and use RPE correctly. AS/NZS 1716:2003 Respiratory protective devices outlines the requirements for RPEs that protect against atmospheres containing harmful substances.

Managing flood risk NZS 9401:2008 Managing flood risk – A process Standard aims to reduce the risk of flood damage by enabling farmers to consider all aspects of flood risk when making key land-use decisions.

All these standards are available from Standards New Zealand, while the good practice guidelines for vehicles, animals, chemicals, machinery, and people on farms can be viewed at WorkSafe’s farm safety website: saferfarms.org.nz.

Safer Farms ignores farming employment crisis, CTU says

CTU President Helen Kelly: “the state as regulator must play an active role in inspection and enforcement as part of the New Zealand safety regime.”

W

orkers are worried that the launch of the Safer Farms programme will not work if there is no attention paid to the terms and conditions of employment that are contributing to making the industry dangerous, says New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) President Helen Kelly.

“The CTU was surprised to read the minister’s statement that he does not see a strong role for Health and Safety inspectors in keeping farm workers safe,” Ms Kelly says.

“Agriculture accounts for half the workplace deaths annually in New Zealand, and, as the Pike River inquiry clearly showed, the state as regulator must play an active role in inspection and enforcement as part of the New Zealand safety regime.”

She points to the farming industry’s own annual remuneration report, which shows: • staff turnover in the dairy industry at 87 percent within 5 years (42 percent less than a year) • average hours per week are increasing and are now at 51 hours per week • the average hourly rate across all dairy farm positions is just $17.34 per hour

• 6 7 percent of employers reporting not to have provided any formal training to their staff • and 33 percent of farmers are saying it is hard to get staff, with a growing reliance on migrant labour to fill the gap (20 percent in dairy).

The Safer Farms programme does not address these issues, Ms Kelly believes, noting that recent further deregulation of the labour market and promotion of migration will make the work more dangerous and precarious.

She says government seems to think it can decouple safety from working conditions despite its own Independent Taskforce on Health and Safety clearly saying there is a link. “MBIE’s own findings that on inspection 2/3 of farms inspected were not meeting basic employment standards speaks volumes that the employment practices in farms cannot be ignored in any plan to make them safer,” Ms Kelly maintains.

“While elements of the Safer Farms programme are useful and targeted the CTU does not believe without addressing these other issues, New Zealand farms will become safer for those that work on them.”

The CTU believes the following terms and conditions of employment must be addressed: • the long hours and poor conditions farm workers are exposed to are undoubtedly factors in the injury and fatality rate in the industry. Much like the Independent Forestry Safety Review found in its review of the forestry industry, minimum standards, working conditions and health and safety are inextricably linked.

Long hours and poor or no access to proper facilities contribute to fatigue and impairment, in turn causing accidents and fatalities.

• in particular, excessively long hours of work are endemic in several farming sectors with the dairy industry being the worst

offender. According to Lincoln University researchers 40 percent of dairy farm workers work more than 60 hours per week with 11-on, 3-off or 12-on, 4-off rosters being common. The Labour Inspectorate audit of dairy farms found 31 of 44 farms were breaching minimum employment standards, particularly time and record keeping. This is a significant health and safety issue.

• we would welcome the introduction of regulations for working hours in the farming industry.

• the hard work, isolation and poor working conditions have resulted in less New Zealanders wanting to undertake some forms of farming and this has led to a boom in migrant workers (particularly from the Pacific via RSE and the Philippines). These groups of workers are exceptionally vulnerable and very little information is provided to them on basic employment and health and safety rights.

The MBIE language hub (http:// www.dol.govt.nz/languagehub/) is remarkably inadequate in information on health and safety issues and employment issues more generally. This must be remedied.

• we also believe that it is essential that 90-day trial periods are not used in the farming industry.

Workers often do not feel able to raise health and safety issues while on a trial period as they can be dismissed without reason.

We know accidents and injuries are more common amongst new workers than those with more experience in that particular job.

We are also very aware of the very high staff turnover in farming, which means a greater proportion of workers are exposed to the 90-day trial period.

Active inspection and enforcement WorkSafe and the Labour Inspectorate need to continue and increase

their activities in the inspection and enforcement area. The most important thing is good labour and health and safety laws robustly enforced.

WorkSafe mustn’t only take an ‘educative’ approach to the industry. While WorkSafe has seemingly increased its inspection activity over the past 14 months, it must keep up the drive and not cave to industry pressure. WorkSafe should put more resource into enforcement, as there are relatively few prosecutions for workplace fatalities in the farming industry despite its large share of the overall workplace fatality statistics. We think that the worker participation must be strengthened in farming and more generally.

The breaches of minimum standards also require a systematic response from the labour inspectorate. This will require more funding for the chronically under-resourced Labour Inspectorate, which at 41 inspectors does not have sufficient time or means to undertake proactive investigation and enforcement activity. We would also like to see strengthened powers for the labour inspectors; such as increased powers to enter workplaces and seize documents. Penalties for breaches are also inadequate and need to be addressed.

Quad bike safety We believe that Coroner Shortland’s recommendations for quad bikes should be fully implemented.

Those recommendations include but are not limited to: • regulation that helmets should be used at all times • supporting a multi-disciplinary taskforce to research and advise on roll-over protective devices • regular testing of after-market attachments • consideration of licencing or warranting of quad bikes • consideration of fitting a warning signal or alarm when a quad bike is in reverse, on a slope, or in danger of tipping.

www.isn.co.nz

19

COVER STORY >> Safer Farms

Working together to sow standards The national workplace health and safety watchdog is emphasising cooperation in order to reduce the number of farm deaths and injuries, says the man responsible

W

orkSafe New Zealand is implementing a multi-faceted, cooperative campaign with the agriculture industry to ensure the Safer Farms message reaches as much of the large and diverse target audience as possible during the next six years.

“The problem is the farming industry is full of owner-operators who are quite hard to reach individually given that there 65,000 farms of all kinds across NZ,” WorkSafe NZ Safer Farms manager Al McCone explains.

“So rather than trying to reach every farm by itself we are working with the agriculture sector, using all the various communications mechanisms the industry has available.”

The regulator’s partners include such organisations as DairyNZ, Rural Women New Zealand, the Dairy Women’s Network, Beef and Lamb, Fonterra, Federated Farmers, FMG Insurance, Landcorp and ANZCO. WorkSafe is also starting to engage with organisations such as the Federation of Maori Authorities and rural health practitioners. “We’ll be actively working with all these bodies and more over the next few years, picking their brains and helping them use their communications mechanisms to get the Safer Farms messages out.”

WorkSafe has already talked to many agriculture industry organisations to identify relevant messages and reached out to the industry’s grassroots via other means such as surveys and group discussions involving as many as 700 farmers.

These initial discussions have revealed two important points – an “I see the problem but it doesn’t affect me” attitude and an overall awareness and recognition that there has to be a switch in attitude towards farm safety from compliance to incorporating safety as an everyday part of farm work.

The predominant attitude among many farmers at present was “she’ll

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March/April – 2015

be right”, Mr McCone observes.

“They believe that the thing bites me because I’m careless or because it can’t be controlled, so we’re telling farmers that the thing that bites them can be managed by simply putting in a little thought before each activity,” he says. “There are very few things that can’t be controlled on a farm, or at least managed to reduce the risk.”

Another problem he’s found is older farm staff teaching young workers bad safety habits. “Unless they’ve been through a course such as Telford or Taratahi, or come from a farm with good practices, someone starting out in agriculture can be taught by older guys who are very

McCone notes.

That said, WorkSafe concedes that it has to “make amends” with some parts of the rural community, which rightly or wrongly feels that the health and safety watchdog has been regulating them out of existence. “While that’s not ever the attitude that we wanted to adopt, it is, unfortunately, a perception that is prevalent in a fair few parts of the country,” Mr McCone admits. “We’ve got work to do there.”

Another major challenge is that WorkSafe staff are experts in managing risk – not farming. “That’s why we’re working with the farming experts to identify the work dangers and risks - then we’ll have a better

“That’s why we’re working with the farming experts to identify the work dangers and risks - then we’ll have a better picture of what safety messages we should be formulating and delivering” set in their ways and don’t believe they have any safety problems – and exposed to attitudes such as being laughed at for wearing helmets on a farm bike!”

Authority averse This communications conundrum is confounded by “very selective” attitudes to WorkSafe information, the most recent example of which was the $20,000 per person fine levied by the courts on a Marlborough farming couple for not wearing a helmet when riding a quad bike.

“The major component of the fine wasn’t for not wearing a helmet – it was for wilfully ignoring prohibition orders, which is a completely different thing but not one that was embraced by some sections of the agricultural industry, who viewed it as heavy-handed officialdom,” Mr

picture of what safety messages we should be formulating and delivering.”

This will, by necessity, involve extensive investigation and constant communication with the various agricultural sectors on such key matters as what constitutes good practice, how risk can be managed, when regulations might be loosened a little and when they have to be tightened.

Once that information has been gathered it’s a matter of pushing it back out into the community so that as many farmers as possible get the Safer Farms message during the six years that the campaign is slated to run.

“That’s when we start working with people like the Dairy NZ rural extension officers, the rural women’s leadership courses and the dairy-

NZ Safer Farms Manager Al McCone: “There are very few things that can’t be controlled on a farm, or at least managed to reduce the risk”

women’s trainers so that they will then take that message back out to the industry.”

WorkSafe is also talking to the retailers that farmers trust as a source of facts, and will be asking retailers to ask important safety questions such as whether farmers have the safety gear to go with the chain saw they are planning to buy. Whether it’s the right chain saw for the job, if staff are going to use it and if so is the farmer sure they’re competent to use it because he could be held responsible? “We’re asking the retailers to put safety messages around their products in a way that is informative rather than preaching.”

The regulator is even preparing a programme for primary schools, which is about identifying safety on farms and how children can be safe when they’re on a farm. “There’s a great range of activities available and this is just the first of six years, so as we proceed that activity will evolve and new activities will come in.”

Mr McCone personally believes this evolutionary, coordinated approach has the potential to reduce the death rate on farms from workplace incidents by much more than the official 25 percent in six years.

“Our target is 25 percent because there will always be parts of the community we don’t or can’t reach.”

Cutting costs Yet even a 25 percent reduction in serious injuries will have an enormous impact on ACC costs alone.

“For example, we had a meeting in Otago recently and a farmer turned up with his stock manager, who had her arm in a sling, having shattered her elbow when she’d had to leap off her quad bike when some bulls fighting near her started charging,” Mr McCone recalls.

The farmer said the shattered elbow was going to possibly cost him $10-$20,000 – which wasn’t paying for her injury but rather the amount a good stock manager adds to a farm. “If a good stock manager can’t handle all her tasks and a farmer has to employ casual staff, those costs are real.”

Reducing the number of accidents not only improves the farmer’s bottom line, it means their ACC levy will probably go down as well and help ease the strain on an organisation that is currently paying out over $50 million per year to the agriculture industry. “The amount of hours lost across dairy alone in one year

is 350 working years lost – this is a sector that is short of good people and simply can’t afford to have 350 people off work.”

One in five agriculture workers currently visit the doctor for a work-related injury, which is “phenomenal” considering that many are people who don’t go to a doctor regularly, Mr McCone adds. “This has a huge impact on the sector.”

Another often overlooked but increasingly important element in a farm safety campaign is the ethical consumerism checks beginning to be employed by major multinationals. This will mean that a producer’s audit of a farm will not only review pasture management, fertiliser inputs, effluent policies, and stock management, it will have to also cover people management, part of which will include safety.

“That’s going to force change across the industry because it will allow our processors to have a place in the top-end preferential contract market, rather than selling on the open market. This reduces vulnerability to commodity fluctuations

The Safer Farms campaign has seen WorkSafe NZ talk to many agriculture industry organisations and individual farmers to identify relevant messages

and increases income.”

Mr McCone has heard one Wairarapa farmer explain how his recent processor audit included questions about staff management and safety and believes it is simply a matter of time before other processors follow suit, if they aren’t already doing so.

“How long before the whole sector includes the same health and safety element in its marketing, encouraging and enabling farmers to advertise a premium product produced on ethical farms with strict health and safety standards?”

And that’s why WorkSafe’s Smarter Farms health and safety campaign is both timely and vital – not only will it reduce the agricultural death and injury rate but it will also play a part in boosting industry returns and that can only be good for both farmers and New Zealand.

CO M M E N T > > H A Z MAT by B a r r y D ye r

Keeping them safe down on the farm

Farming is a highly skilled and hazardous occupation due to the interaction of people, stock, machinery, weather and terrain - and chemicals

T

oday’s farmers typically strive to be the very best at what they do, not least because of agriculture’s major role in our future but also because of society’s rising workplace health and safety expectations.

Like all employers, farmers are expected to do the right thing. This is not always easy – thanks in part to complex regulation, not knowing

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March/April – 2015

what is required and occasionally a disturbing disregard for chemical safety obligations.

The FarmSafe programme’s Grosafe certification indicates participants have the skill and knowledge to correctly use agrichemicals in accordance with the Resource Management Act (RMA), the Health and Safety in Employment (H&SE) Act and international

food safety accreditation bodies.

An agriculture Approved Handler certificate under the provisions of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms (HSNO) Act is required to purchase and use specified chemical products. This skill recognition for health and safety doctrine requiring workers to be competent to carry out their assigned roles is inexplicably undermined by

allowing Grosafe and Approved Hander qualification to be renewed online, avoiding the requirement to demonstrate to a qualified assessor that the person can indeed correctly apply their chemical expertise in their workplace environment.

Recent calls to the chemical industry’s CHEMCALL® 24/7 emergency advisory hotline concerned agricultural workers harmed by

exposure to agrichemicals and caustic cleaning products. Farmers and casual workers spraying crops without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) subsequently developed severe rashes and breathing difficulties.

Of particular concern is inexperienced workers routinely climbing inside milk tanks with a bucket of caustic cleaning solution, without any instruction or PPE. A minute quantity splashed into an unprotected eye and sight is gone forever.

Equally concerning is allegations employers refused requests for chemical training and PPE. WorkSafe NZ is investigating.

Enforcement visits to agricultural operations in response to an unacceptable death and serious injury rate decried by politicians, media and pundits alike are being increased. Nevertheless, health and safety includes the chemicals necessary to sustain and improve production, ensure healthy livestock and deliver the hygiene standards demanded by our overseas customers.

Mismanagement mounting Workplace health and safety legislation requires the chemicals present in every workplace to be correctly and safely managed by competent people. There is mounting evidence to the contrary.

Discussion surrounding the new Health and Safety at Work legislation includes criticism of the HSNO Test Certification regime, including abandoning the mandatory Approved Handler requirement but for a handful of controlled substances on the grounds employers will

continue to meet their obligation to train employees to safely handle chemicals. Chemical suppliers consider it unlikely New Zealand would have the tens of thousands of Approved Handlers at work today were it not mandatory.

Too often, one hears complaints about the ‘cost’ of training rather than the cost of dealing with the result of a preventable incident.

Every employer’s moral and legal obligation to maintain a safe and healthy workplace requires a modest investment every five years to ensure the necessary up-skilling and subsequent supervision. Most employers take their obligations seriously, but they’re being undermined by those who do not.

An energised WorkSafe NZ is stepping up enforcement in the agricultural sector. Compliance checks include ensuring the Site Hazard Register incorporates an accurate chemical inventory, compliant safety data sheets (SDS) and site signage, appropriate test certification requirements and an effective emergency response plan.

Chemical safety requires Persons in Charge (committed employers) ensure competent employees and contractors are correctly carrying out their tasks in safe and healthy workplaces. Ignore flawed legislation by ensuring your employees are trained and assessed by credible training providers. ‘Management By Walking Around’ continues to be the best way to ensure workers are performing to the required standard.

Agriculture is the backbone of New Zealand’s thriving economy.

Farmers who are daily managing site hazards collectively suffer from

“Let’s stop mismanaging essential chemical products which harm an estimated 600-800 workers every year thanks to unwanted chemical exposure in their workplace” people being harmed by the actions of thoughtless or careless employees and contractors. The worthy FarmSafe initiative is having an impact but chemicals require particular attention and expertise.

Let’s stop mis-managing essential chemical products which harm estimated 600-800 workers every year thanks to unwanted chemical exposure in their workplace.

Employers and workers require up-skilling to safeguard people and our environment.

Safe chemical management and compliance advice is readily available from chemical suppliers, WorkSafe NZ inspectors, Responsible Care NZ and the chemical industry’s 0800 CHEMCALL® Emergency Response Advisory Service.

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Compliance is the right thing to do and makes good business sense. The global chemical industry’s Responsible Care® initiative will help you.

Our agricultural sector has a proud

history and a bright future. Please help ensure it becomes a role model for safe chemical management.

Barry Dyer is the Chief Executive of Responsible Care NZ, which provides practical products and services to enable compliance with New Zealand’s world-class chemical management regime +644 499 4311, info@responsiblecarenz.com, www.responsiblecarenz.com

why are things not happening as you planned?

Thirty years of research has shown that 70% of all major change efforts in organisations fail to deliver the expected results in the medium to long term – frequently due to a lack of engagement and commitment by the people directly involved.

Contact PeopleCentric to find out how we can help you engage your people and develop a productive and safe workplace climate.

www.peoplecentric.co.nz

www.isn.co.nz

23

COVER STORY >> Safer Farms Farm vehicles account for around 18 percent of injuries on dairy farms and 11 percent on sheep and beef farms every year

Vehicle safety a farm priority

•

•

• • • • •

•

•

Reducing the number of serious farm vehicle injuries and improving safety is paramount for New Zealand’s rural workplace authorities

A

ccording to Farmsafe, New Zealand farm vehicle injuries account for around 18 percent of injuries on dairy farms and 11 percent on sheep and beef farms every year.

WorkSafe New Zealand reports up to 850 people are injured annually riding quad bikes and ATVs on farms.

That’s why the organisation has launched the Safer Farms farm safety programme in an effort to reduce the alarming statistics.

Jointly funded by WorkSafe New Zealand and ACC, Safer Farms is a six-year programme aiming to tackle the underlying barriers to improving farm safety.

Accidents from ATVs and quad bikes, particularly rolls, occur in high numbers on New Zealand dairy farms as a result of collisions with farm equipment, driving into holes or animals, misjudgement, loose goods, punctures, skidding in poor

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March/April – 2015

weather and inadvertent machinery movement.

Farmers have the same obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, as other workplace employers – those who don’t follow these safety steps risk penalties under the Health and Safety in Employment Act if someone working on their farm is seriously injured or killed.

There are a number of ways farm vehicle accidents and risks can be minimised or eliminated on farms, including the following practical safety steps.

Vehicles and machinery • tractors should be regularly serviced, maintained and safe to operate • assess operator skills: provide the training, skills and supervision necessary to operate the vehicle safely • ensure the operator is aware of

•

•

• • • •

•

any legal requirements, i.e. age, licence requirements, etc ensure the operator is familiar

with any other hazards where he or she is working ensure

the operator has knowledge of the vehicle’s limitations for whatever situation or circumstance ensure a suitable shield/guard is in place over the PTO shaft do not work or walk under an elevated front-end loader lower the front-end loader to the ground when parked ensure the operator is aware of the effect of the front-end loader when operating on hills ensure hydraulic hoses and pipes are maintained and are in good order

• n o loose clothing to be worn while operating machines, long hair should be tied back • switch off or shut down the machine before dismounting from

the tractor to carry out any repairs or maintenance guards must never be removed for any reason while the machine is in operation all drive shafts, V-belt type drives, chain sprocket type drives, and PTOs must have appropriate guards in place never work underneath an un supported trailer when tipping ensure hydraulic systems are fully maintained ensure loads are secured correctly and safely do not overload the trailer check for overhead power lines and other such hazards before tipping a trailer for other machinery use, lock out switches on control panels before doing any maintenance farm tracks and bridges should be well maintained and wide enough for farm vehicles.

Quad bikes and motorbikes • ensure quad bikes and motorbikes are regularly serviced and maintained – daily checks before use are also desirable • helmets should be worn at all times when riding a quad bike or motorbike • training should be given to all riders to ensure that they have the skills to operate the quad bike or motorbike in any situation • know and discuss the limitations of the vehicle in any situation: e.g. the effect of slopes, speed, weather conditions, uneven surface, etc Spray tanks, fertiliser spreaders, carry frames, silage trailers • no passengers should be on board unless seat and footrests are available • environmental conditions need to be assessed.

WorkSafe has recently released guidelines for the safe use of quad bikes, which provides practical advice and explains responsibility for farmers under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992

Co-locating with

BIGGER. STRONGER. BETTER. Co-located with the award winning buildnz | designex, the National Safety Show is an event dedicated to New Zealand’s workplace health safety.

This must

attend event will showcase the latest technology, explore

new and innovative products and services and educate industry professionals with quality seminars and workshops.

REGISTER NOW FOR

FREE ATTENDANCE

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87

%

87% of visitors discovered new products of commercial interest

Safety Show is the place to be seen Workplace safety is constantly on the minds of all good businesses these days, and all are looking for ways to protect their workers, their reputation, and their business.

“With specialist companies from throughout New Zealand coming together in one place to exhibit to the more than six thousand visitors, it’s vital that any supplier serious about succeeding in this competitive area be at the ASB Showgrounds in June.”

T

he National Safety Show is the largest event dedicated to this important aspect in New Zealand and has become an important reference point for the entire industry; showcasing the latest technology, equipment, services and educating industry professionals with quality seminars and professional development workshops.

“For the first time ever, this recognised event is co-located with the hugely successful and award winning duo of buildnz | designex,” says Tony Waite, the event’s Sales and Events Director, “This means that there will be far more trade visitors across the three days than ever before, offering incredible business opportunities to all exhibiting companies.”

“With specialist companies from throughout New Zealand coming together in one place to exhibit to the more than six thousand visitors, it’s vital that any supplier serious about succeeding in this competitive area be at the ASB Showgrounds in June.”

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March/April – 2015

Businesses agree Active Safety will be just one of those at The National Safety Show, and the company’s Matt Cutler, says the team is excited about being a part of a credible trade exhibition.

“It aligns with our purpose and beliefs. We believe the safe execution of work is a guiding behaviour of any ethical organisation and we are all passionate about helping customers achieve superior safety in their work place, industry and community. The National Safety show provides customers and industry peers a comprehensive seminar and workshop series, and Active Safety will be onsite to offer expert advice on the day with no obligations.”

The country’s leading trade show company, XPO Exhibitions, is behind The National Safety Show and the companion buildnz | designex event. “The National Safety Show is targeted to deliver a high quality audience – people who know that their business is dependent on the best safety products and technology available, and have come with

the specific goal of finding new suppliers and keeping up to date with the industry,” says Tony Waite.

“You and your team need to get face-to-face with these visitors, one-on-one, to offer solutions. With a top quality database of previous registered visitors, and an updated marketing plan to engage more, this is an ideal opportunity to identify new customers and develop new leads. We’re on track to have more than 250 exhibitors across the events, and spaces are now very limited, with continuing high demand, so you’d be wise to contact XPO and book your stand now.

Economic power “The National Safety Show is a trade show for suppliers to meet powerful decision makers and buyers. Late last year XPO commissioned Fresh Info Co. to conduct an independent Economic impact report for its Auckland events. This highlighted some key stats across XPO’s Auckland event portfolio including buildnz | designex and the

companion National Safety Show.

The combined purchasing power of attendees to the buildnz | designex 2013 event alone was $375m. The average spending power of the thousands of attendees at buildnz | designex 2013 was $76,614, and 86% of them ‘influence purchasing decisions’. This is further evidence that XPO’s events including the National Safety Show offer exciting opportunities for all its exhibiting companies.

Visitors come from sectors covering the trades and construction, civil engineering, engineering and manufacturing, cargo and warehousing, road transportation, local body and government departments (including police and military), and private sector businesses. Building on the success of previous National Safety Shows, this newly co-located event gives you the opportunity to meet quality buyers from a broad range of business sectors.”

Leading provider of PPE inspection Vertical Horizonz recently hosted a week long PPE inspection course at its Wiri training Center in Auckland.

The course was delivered by David Doughty from Petzl’s Technical Institute in Australia.

David drew on a long history of experience and knowledge, and a crate full of dangerously damaged equipment, to capture and engage trainees for a full week of instruction and assessment.

T

opics included the relevant legislation and Australia/ New Zealand standards; recommended management systems; PPE and its selection; as well as practical PPE inspection. Each topic was explored in terms of its importance and implications for individuals and or organisations.

The importance of compliance was discussed …

While there are automated data management systems within the marketplace designed to ensure maximum efficiency and compliance, these do come at a cost.

Information was delivered on the requirements of a data management system along with suggested simple systems designed within an Excel spreadsheet, so enabling even the smallest company to ensure complete compliance. An effective data management system will not only improve a company’s quality systems, it can also be used to identify trends, costings (current and future)

Examples of frayed and damaged PPE equipment and training requirements.

At Vertical Horizonz all of our height training has elements of personal fall protection equipment inspection; however those people who log and maintain equipment

within an organisation should hold a higher level of training, such as NZQA Unit Standard 19359. People credited with this unit standard are able to inspect and maintain industrial rope access equipment. This

course ensures that the candidate’s level of knowledge and competence is improved to a level where they will return to their workplace and add value to their respective companies.

Real training that saves lives.

Advisory Partnerships Training Development

We create complete training solutions, setting the benchmark We create complete training for safety training.

Our solutions, setting the responsiveness benchmark for safety training. enables us to assess the current Our responsiveness enables us to assess skills of your workforce the currentand skills of your workforce and provide a unique provide a unique that meets solution solution that meets your specific needs. your specific needs.

Contact us now to revolutionise your safety training P 0800 72 33 848 E info@verticalhorizonz.co.nz.co.nz www.verticalhorizonz.co.nz Vertical Horizonz Group | Australia | New Zealand | International

www.isn.co.nz

27

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Lift

Advertisers at the show Colourgrip Surfacing Ltd 101 Lynn River Ltd 107 New Zealand Red Cross 143 NOSA New Zealand 158 Oliver Footwear 134-A PBI Height Safety Ltd 145 Technical Compliance Consultants 97

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14.4

BRANZ Redevelopment

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Becoming the country’s leading height safety specialist has secured our place on the top of NZ’s best.

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Quality design demands quality safety solutions: for the latest innovations in work at height, visit the PBI Height Safety stand at the NZ Safety Show in June.

Merchant Quarter

Consulting and collaborating from concept to completion, PBI Height Safety is the integral safety partner that provides secure height safety, access and compliance to any type of building, elevation or environment. For your next project, get the height safety advantage with NZ’s most extensive product range from the specialists: we offer complete fall protection solutions including consultation, specification, supply, install and certification of the latest innovations in permanent horizontal and vertical safety line systems, access, walkways and anchor points.

Talk to us about height safety today. Take care.

0800 357 003 sales@pbiheightsafety.com www.pbiheightsafety.com

Safe in the knowledge

T

he National Safety Show has always been a must-attend on the calendar for everyone serious about safety. In 2015, it’s almost compulsory because it’ll be the best yet by far. New show organiser, XPO Exhibitions, has gone all out to provide visitors with a business event that will add immense value.

Brent Spillane is managing director of XPO, and he says that his team has been working closely with exhibitors and industry associations to ensure that the revamped National Safety Show – co-located with the international award-winning buildnz | designex – will deliver new solutions, knowledge and industry contacts to trade visitors.

“We’ve taken everything we’ve learned over more than 20 years in business, incorporated feedback and research, and the best of our many trade events, to create a really memorable event. Trade shows are enjoying an incredible resurgence in popularity in New Zealand.

People tend to have a preconceived idea that New Zealand is too small to host quality industry exhibitions, but that’s just not true,” says Brent.

“Many world first innovations are being launched at our existing industry events and we estimate hundreds of millions of dollars in trade is happening onsite each year.

The National Safety Show joins this select group of business events.

“The two wins for buildnz | designex at the 2013 EEAA Awards for Excellence (Best Trade Show under 10,000m2 and Best NZ Show overall) This win is a signal to the industry that the Kiwis produce award winning events that sit on a level with the best in the world – and The National Safety Show 2015 is part of that acclaimed event.”

Largest leader The National Safety Show is the largest event dedicated to workplace safety in New Zealand and provides visitors the opportunity to explore new products, services and

innovations catered to New Zealand’s safety industry.

Specialist companies from throughout New Zealand come together in one place to showcase their products and services, help solve your business’ safety problems, and offer solutions. You will be sure to find the right mix of firsthand experience, critical updates and practical advice to apply in your own workplace.

The National Safety Show is not only a free trade exhibition, but also includes a comprehensive seminar and workshop series running across all three days of the event. A complete breakdown of seminars will be available at www.safetyshow.co.nz www.safetyshow.co.nz within four weeks of the show, to assist in planning your visit.

Meet safety experts and professionals that can help you keep your workplace safe. If you are looking for solutions to make your workplace safer, more productive and profitable, The National Safety Show is not to be missed!

Missing out is always bad business

T

he National Safety Show is already established as the reference point for the industry.

It provides your best opportunity to showcase your products, educate the industry, and make sales to qualified safety professionals.

Now under the umbrella of XPO exhibitions, New Zealand’s largest B2B trade event organiser, this vital industry event is co-located with buildnz | designex.

“The importance to the industry is clear, with most the exhibition space taken,” notes Tony Waite, XPO’s National Events and Sales Director.

“Suppliers from all over the country and the world have already committed time and expert people to ensure that those working in safety in New Zealand have access to the tools, equipment and services that will keep our industries and its employees physically, mentally and economically safe. If you want to be in front of thousands of profession-

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March/April – 2015

als with safety problems needing solutions, then you need to be at The National Safety Show.”

Although the event is now associated with buildnz | designex, it will continue to deliver the latest information on workplace health and safety in an environment providing maximum exposure to prospective buyers.

“The value is recognised far wider than just within the industry as well.

We’re now working with local government authorities on a range of initiatives to invest and grow this event alongside our wider portfolio of shows. This is exciting news for the industry, and highlights how important it is to the country as well as the industry.”

The National Safety Show is already established as the reference point for the industry. The National Safety Show provides your best opportunity to showcase your products, educate the industry,

and make sales to qualified safety professionals.

Now under the umbrella of XPO exhibitions, New Zealand’s largest B2B trade event organiser, and co-located with buildnz | designex, The National Safety Show will continue to deliver the latest infor-

mation on workplace health and safety in an environment providing maximum exposure to prospective buyers.

Qualified Leads The National Safety Show is targeted to deliver a high quality audience

Continuous improvement – people who know that their business is dependent on the best safety products and technology available, and are there with the specific goal of finding new suppliers and keeping up to date with the industry. You and your team need to get face-toface with these visitors, one-on-one to offer solutions. With a top quality database of previously registered visitors, and an updated marketing plan to engage more, this is an ideal opportunity to identify new customers and develop new leads.

The National Safety Show is trade-only and attracts powerful decision makers and buyers from: the trades and construction, civil engineering, engineering and manufacturing, cargo and warehousing, road transportation, local body and government departments (including police and military), as well as private sector businesses. The National Safety Show 2015 gives you the opportunity to meet quality buyers from a broad range of sectors.

T

here’s only one workplace health and safety technology, equipment and systems national event in the country this year, and that’s The National Safety Show.

Held over three days at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds (21-23 June), and free for industry professionals to attend, it’s more than a trade show.

“While it is the largest event in New Zealand dedicated to workplace safety, and provides an opportunity to explore new products, services and innovations from the safety industry, it’s about gaining and sharing knowledge as well,” says Brent Spillane, Managing Director for The National Safety Show organiser XPO Exhibitions.

“Specialist companies from throughout New Zealand will present their products and services in a dedicated venue to help solve problems and offer solutions to New Zealand businesses. You will be sure to find the right mix of firsthand experience, critical updates and practical advice to apply to your

own organisation.

“But education is again pivotal.

Industry education is no bolt on feature. It’s an integral component of the event planning. This year we hosted for two full days of seminars, in addition to the displays and demonstrations that many exhibitors will have.”

Industry educational opportunities are co-located with buildnz | designex at The National Safety Show, creating a complete one-stop-shop for products, services, education and professional development.

Brent says that this year’s event will build on the success of the 2013 buildnz | designex.

“Feedback from visitors in 2013 was very positive. They thoroughly enjoyed the seminars and better yet enjoyed the opportunity to network and learn about new products and services at a large scale exhibition outside of the seminars.

“For example, last time, in addition to New Zealand Institute of

E b N’t

Do sEr lO

Architects CPD Days, we also had seminars from the CEOs of both the Registered Master Builders Federation and the Certified Builders Association of NZ. Ree Anderson from the Planning Office of Auckland Council talked about the Unitary Plan, and the Registered Master Builders Federation had two days of other feature speakers.

The event addressed many facets of challenges facing the wider industry.

“Planning’s well advanced for this year, and the programme is promising to be even better than ever – keep an eye on the website (www. safetyshow.co.nz) for the details.

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31

Safety first saves pain, time and money

Injuries in the construction industry are high, with ACC claims costing over $100 million a year and climbing

S

afety is something that can easily slip off the radar during a busy day: no-one sets out to have a work accident but building sites contain all sorts of hazards that are accidents waiting to happen.

People may be unaware of the hazards or become so involved in the task they’re doing that they overlook the hazards and the risk posed.

Taking steps to make the workplace safer and managing the hazards can therefore save a lot of pain, time and money.

Protect your hearing when working with noise Noise-induced hearing loss is a major cause of injury in the construction industry with around 4,000 new serious injury claims made to ACC annually.

Hearing loss is permanent, but it can be prevented: • if you can’t hear someone talk when you are 1–2m apart, you

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March/April – 2015

need hearing protection and so do they • even short periods without protection will damage your hearing. For example, five minutes operating a circular saw will damage your hearing • make sure your hearing protection is effective – it must be in good condition, worn correctly and the correct class for the type of work.

Keep work areas and access ways clear Slips, trips and falls are a major cause of building site injuries, but it’s not the fall that hurts us, it’s what we hit on the way down. Sprains, bruises, broken bones, cuts and concussion are common but avoidable: • put tools away and keep your site clear and tidy - make sure there’s something to put rubbish into • keep stairwells clear of obstacles such as tools, boxes, rubbish and off-cuts - make sure there’s good lighting on the stairs as they

are often poorly lit when under construction • when carrying a load, make sure you can see where you’re going it’s safer to carry two small loads instead of one big one.

• store things at waist height so they are easier to move and bend your knees if you have to lift something from below waist level • use equipment like wheelbarrows, jacks or cranes to lift loads.

Place ladders on level ground and secure top and bottom Ladders play a major role on the work site, but when used incorrectly, they can result in serious injury: • angle the ladder 1m out at the base for every 4m of height • never climb higher than the third rung from the top - if you have to go higher, use a platform or scaffolding • don’t lean off to the side – always keep your belt buckle between the ladder uprights and don’t lift heavy or awkward objects on your own.

Know how to use tools and equipment Use the right tools for the job and know how to use them correctly: • only use tools you have been trained to use • check all power leads and guards are in good condition • always use a residual current device (RCD) to prevent electrocution, and turn tools off at the power source when you’re finished • wear the right gear – eye and hearing protection and suitable footwear.

Lifting, pushing, pulling, twisting and reaching are hard on your body • do a few quick stretches to warm up before you start work.

For more information on work safety, visit www.acc.co.nz/ construction

Putting your back into it Your back is so important – put these pointers into practice and your back will thank you says Ruth Jenkins 1. Get as close to the load as possible.

The further the load is from the centerline of your body, the greater the strain imposed on your back. If need be, squat down to lift the load and pull it between your legs. This gets it closer to the centre of your body and helps prevent the need to bend at the waist.

However, since your leg muscles are the largest muscles in your body, they are the biggest energy consumers. Repeated squatting can be very fatiguing, and reduces a person’s ability to lift in this manner for any length of time. In addition to lifting the load, you are also hoisting the majority of your body weight.

For repeated lifting, other strategies must be used.

2. Avoid picking up heavy objects placed below your knees Try to see that heavy objects are placed and stored above knee level and below shoulder level. If you suspect the load is too heavy to be lifted comfortably, do not chance it.

Use a mechanical aid, break the load down into its component parts, or get help. The most common cause of back injury is overloading.

and need to place it off to one side, turn by moving your feet. After repeated lifts you might find yourself getting a bit sloppy and forgetting to move your feet. You can overcome this tendency if the place you set the load down is at least one step away from where it is lifted. If you wear a back support belt, wear it low on your trunk and loosen it when you are not lifting.

6. Stay in good physical condition A protruding stomach is an extra load carried away from the centre line of the body, and prevents you from keeping a lifted object close – the number one rule for back care.

When you bend at the waist to lift, due to the leverage principle, the load is up to 10 times heavier than its actual weight. A “potbelly” puts extra, stressful weight on the spine.

7. Stretch and loosen up before work Research has shown that trunk flexibility and mobility is significantly lower in the morning than later in the day, increasing the number and severity of back strains at this time.

A few minutes of stretching can warm up cold, stiff muscles and ten-

dons and help you avoid an injury.

All professional athletes know this “industrial athletes” should too!

Ruth Jenkins is a Director of SINA Safety Solutions, an independent, all-sectors specialist OHS management consulting company based in Perth, Western Australia

3 .Keep your back straight Keep the natural arch in your lower back, which distributes the load evenly over the surface of spinal disks, and is less stressful than if the disk is pinched between vertebras.

4. Glue your hand to your thigh If you carry a load in one hand, such as when carrying a tool box, place your free hand on the outside of your thigh and mentally “glue” it into position. This will help you maintain correct back alignment rather than lifting and tilting to one side. When carrying a heavy load, side bending can be just as stressful to the spine as bending forward.

5. Tighten your stomach muscles This technique helps prevent your spine from twisting. If you lift a load

www.isn.co.nz

33

EXHIBITOR LIST Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Company

3M New Zealand Ltd Joselyn Tan jkumaran@mmm.com 09 447 6692 Takapuna Auckland

138

Appliance Tagging Services (NZ) Ltd Wayne Peters wayne@rapidtestsystems. com.au Bentleigh Victoria Australia

111

Colourgrip Surfacing Ltd 101 Simon Fletcher simon@ colourgripsurfacing.co.nz 09 274 4284 Botany Auckland

Armour Safety Mike Wynands mike@armoursafety.co.nz 09 622 2996 Onehunga Auckland

137

Arrow Matting Systems Ltd Jon Hart jon@arrowmats.co.nz 04 589 5889 Lower Hutt Wellington

135

Active Safety NZ Limited 103 Matt Cutler matt@activesafety.co.nz 09 415 4932 North Harbour Auckland Aervoe Industries Brendan Talbot aervoe.sps@xtra.co.nz 09 253 8114 Wiri Auckland

99

Stand No

Deb New Zealand Ltd Sophia Lepir s.lepir@deb.com.au +61 2 8763 1834 Moorebank New South Wales Australia

155

Eden FX Group Sarah Brydon sarah@edenfx.co.nz 09 424 8367 Whangaparaoa Auckland

98

Safer, faster bolting

An Australian system takes the risk out of potentially hazardous bolting tasks in high-temperature applications

A

n innovative Australian system has taken the risk out of potentially hazardous bolting tasks in high-temperature applications.

Australian joint security innovator Technofast Industries’ globally successful EziTite family of hydraulic nuts and bolts is used on many high-temperature applications worldwide where speed, safety and accuracy are critical.

The Technofast product family includes the CamNut systems used on steam turbines and extreme temperature applications from – 40°C to 650°C, and the EziTite TR Hydraulic Nuts designed especially for high temperature applications up to 550°C and higher.

Bolts are hydraulically tensioned simultaneously instead of using time-consuming bolt heating and shrinkage methods, drastically shortening assembly time – for example, a large High Pressure/Intermediate Pressure (HP/IP) casing can be closed in a matter of minutes, rather than days.

A bonus is that any release and retensioning of fasteners can be carried out quickly and easily. In the case of breakdown, fastener removal can be effected even before the turbine is fully cooled from operating temperature.

34

March/April – 2015

Technofast EziTite TR high temperature hydraulic nuts being installed on a Heat Exchange in a refinery make assembly and disassembly tasks faster and safer and avoid downtime Technofast’s CamNut System is the only alternative to current method which can be effectively used to tighten the typically massive bolts used in large steam turbines without either replacing the entire set of bolts at huge cost or extensively modifying bolts, casings, or both.

The system is designed using specialised features such as stacked hydraulic load cells to reduce tool diameters and a tapered breakaway coupling with a unique thread for rapid engagement of the tensioning tool.

The EziTite TR High Temperature Hydraulic

Nut has a number of significant features which are also the subject of patents and PCT patent applications. Technofast has developed a highly innovative metal seal with excellent durability, which it claims is unlike any other hydraulic sealing mechanism in existence.

The unique action of the seal mechanism permits the EziTite TR fastener to be cycled many times without failure. Months of in-house testing has confirmed an operational life in excess of one hundred cycles, which far exceeds any projected usage.

A revolution in comfort and style From the resources sector to manufacturing, the services and hospitality sector; the struggle to find comfortable safety work shoes for women is finally over

O

liver Footwear has created a specifically designed range of safety footwear to support the contours of a woman’s foot with added arch support, multiple comfort features, and excellent slip resistance.

The Oliver PB 49 Series offers several styles including a lace up, slip on, elastic sided, jogger and the stylish cross strap that are bound to be the new benchmark in the market.

Using Oliver’s unique COMFORTcushion® Impact Absorption System with cellular urethane and PORON® to protect the heel and ball of the foot, the new PB 49 Series offers unsurpassed comfort and support.

The fully lined PB 49 Series is infused with AEGIS Microbe Shield® solution which protects against odour, staining and deterioration caused by bacteria and other microorganisms.

The Oliver comfort footbed has perforated air channels to promote

natural airflow and is treated with AEGIS Microbe Shield® solution to help maintain freshness.

Safety protection is provided by the NATUREform® safety steel toe cap allowing greater comfort against all types of impacts.

The outer sole has superior cut, slip and crack resistance and is also heat resistant to 300ΟC. The hardwearing rubber outsole resists mineral and organic oils and acids.

The Oliver PB 49 Series complies with AS/NZS 2210.3:2009 and International Standards EN ISO 20345:2011 and ASTM F2413-11 and is available in the metric size range 35-42.

For more information contact your usual safety footwear supplier or Rhys Evans, Sales Manager New Zealand direct by email rhys.evans@honeywell.com or by calling 0274 811 664

Calling all women! The struggle to find comfortable work shoes is finally over. Oliver’s new women’s footwear range is a triumph of safety, comfort and style.

oliver

PB 49 series WOMEN’S SafEty fOOtWEar

A revolution in comfort And style

www.isn.co.nz

35

New solution to improve safety and communications for isolated workers Lone workers in isolated areas can now stay in constant contact with their managers courtesy of the Navman Wireless Lone Worker system Lone Worker enables workers to manually send high-priority alerts, automatic man-down alerts and low priority check-in confirmations up to 500 metres

D

eveloped by Navman Wireless, Lone Worker helps address safety issues by remotely connecting workers to their managers via mobile networks or the Iridium satellite communication network.

Navman Wireless Lone Worker includes a small, lightweight pendant that workers carry at all times, which connects with their vehicle and utilises the Navman Wireless tracking unit and satellite communications

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Edge Protection NZ Ltd Karl Emslie info@edge-protection. co.nz 07 829 3246 Dinsdale Hamilton

159

HazTec Ltd Shelley Nankivell shelley@haztec.co.nz 09 426 5902 Silverdale Auckland

141

Intaks NZ Ltd Joel Warren joel@intaks.co.nz 027 5600247 Tauranga

160

134B

Ladder Solutions Ltd Frances Lumsden Frances@fwcave.co.nz 09 557 0065 Kumeu Auckland

126

Honeywell Safety Products Nick Grace nick.grace@honeywell. com 07 823 7390 Cambridge Industrial Safety News Phil Pilbrow phil@mediasolutions.net. nz 09 489 8663 Orewa Auckland

82

LecSafe New Zealand Limited David Easterbrook davide@lecsafe.co.nz 09 834 2276 Te Atatu Peninsula Auckland

102

Electrical Testing Services Darren Brown rachel.cummins@ electricaltesting.co.nz 0800 304 959 Wellington Glomesh New Zealand Ltd Jane Dicks enquiries@glomesh.co.nz 09 835 2420 Swanson Auckland 36

device to send notifications.

Lone Worker enables workers to manually send high-priority alerts, automatic man-down alerts and low priority check-in confirmations up to 500 metres with clear line of sight, although this varies depending on the terrain.

Should workers move so far that the pendant loses contact with the vehicle , the solution automatically sends an out-of-range alert to the pendant to notify the worker to return to a safe operational range or move the vehicle closer to their working location.

After three alerts without any response, the Navman Wireless Lone Worker vehicle device will notify headquarters that the worker is outof-range and could be at risk.

Another key feature of the Lone Worker is its two-way communication system: while most duress systems only allow one-way communication that provides no confirmation that a message has been received, Lone Worker sends a confirmation signal when it has been received by the server.

“Navman Wireless identified a gap in the market in managing the safety of workers in remote locations,” says Ian Daniel, Vice President Asia Pacific at Navman Wireless. “For these workers, a minor mishap or sudden environmental change may easily lead to a life threatening situation, yet they usually work in areas that have no mobile phone reception or other means of communicating. “ This increases risk levels, particularly in situations which could require immediate attention, such as a fall or serious injury. “The Lone Worker sends out automated high-priority alert notifications to the worker if, for example, it detects a fall or sudden movement

which could indicate the worker has tripped, or a possible health issue and is unable to respond,” Mr Daniel says. “If the worker does not respond within ten seconds, an alert will be sent to headquarters for immediate attention.”

Key features of the Lone Worker include • an additional layer of protection aligned with Work, Health and Safety legislation including duty of care for mobile workers and employers • in-vehicle call/emergency button • two-way wireless communication with confirmation signal • automated high-priority alert notification • manually activated high priority alert notification • out-of-range alert notification • manually activated worker check-in.

“The Lone Worker is the newest addition to Navman Wireless’ portfolio of products and solutions that help businesses adhere to workplace health and safety legislation and duty of care for mobile staff,” Mr Daniel adds.

March/April – 2015

113

80

Safety in the workplace is now a big issue Make your floors safe and up to code with Colourgrip® roading technology

N

ew Zealand has one of the worst records for workplace accidents, injuries and fatalities in the OECD. Slips, trips and falls trail only back injury in terms of the most reported workplace safety incidents so making your floors safe is a critically important, especially as part of any health and safety strategy.

Yet too many companies in New Zealand pay lip service to this area of safety. Not only does this put New Zealand workers at risk but with the new Health & Safety Act to pass into law later this year, companies, their directors and senior managers will become liable for any workplace incidents unless they have taken all reasonable or practical steps to minimise risk.

Improving floor safety is one of those steps and there are now solutions for just about any surface.

The most durable anti-slip and anti-skid solution available Simon Fletcher, director of Colourgrip Surfacing Ltd, is a specialist in anti-slip and anti-skid surfacing solutions.

Colourgrip® has brought in the expertise he had in designing and installing anti-skid materials on public roads and is now applying that to company premises, factories and warehouses.

“For many years now the New Zealand roading industry has experimented with various coloured safety surfacing materials.

These proprietary materials are installed at strategic locations to provide high friction braking surfaces, to help all types of traffic to brake to a halt, approximately one third quicker, and hence have a direct impact on the number of collisions and the accident road toll, making

the roads a lot safer.

“I have worked in this field as an independent consultant to the NZTA since 2008 and huge progress has been made in nutting out the essential components for effective and long lasting ‘anti-skid’ in this country.

“I have increasingly seen the

need for the industrial/commercial sectors to have at their disposal a proper anti-slip/skid surfacing that’s far more effective and longer lasting than paint-based wet, poorly defined coloured anti-slip walkways, and ‘Keep Clear’ zones,” says Mr Fletcher.

NZ’s most durable anti-slip & anti-skid solution by far Exceeding compliance to UK motorway, NZTA and NZ Building Code specifications Colourgrip® provides a world leading PU resin binder and aggregate system. With over 20 years’ experience, our contracting teams install nationwide. If you’re looking for unsurpassed slip-resistance, durability and vibrant colour, with an immediate FIVE year adhesion and defects warranty, then you should be talking to us.

t: (09) 274 4284 | e: enquiries@colourgrip.co.nz | www.colourgrip.co.nz

www.isn.co.nz

37

’t bE

r E s O l

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Lynn River Ltd Anthony Griffin anthony.griffin@lynnriver. co.nz 03 693 0000 Geraldine South Canterbury

107

Out Wear Ltd Marco Streibel marco@outwear.co.nz 09 473 6914 Browns Bay Auckland

100

Risk Management Group Limited Tony Brownett toneb@riskgroup.co.nz 07 823 9136 Cambridge

165

Pacer - Car Clean Products Mike Rudkins mike@raj.co.nz Manukau City Auckland

85

Safety Fall Bags & Nets Victor Middleditch info@safetyfallbags.co.nz 0800 3255 22 Whangaparaoa Auckland

83

Paramount Safety Matt Grinsted matt@paramountsafety. co.nz 09 622 2361 Onehunga Auckland

149

Safety in Action Sheryl Jones sherylj@safetynaction. co.nz 0800 22 23 88 Browns Bay Auckland

114

• Dyneema® fibre offers unprecedented performance in protecting the hand from lacerations.

• Dyneema® fibre is fifteen times stronger than steel on a weight-forweight basis.

• Thermal conductivity keeps hand cool by expelling heat.

• Ultra-fine, flexible filaments provide excellent dexterity for delicate tasks.

• Excellent durability provides cost effective hand protection solutions.

New Zealand Red Cross Graham Wrigley Graham.wrigley@ redcross.org.nz 03 339 7111 Christchurch

a E b ePeR

CUT 5 LINER

143

CUT 5 DIPPED

CUT 3 DIPPED

158 NOSA New Zealand Lance Hiscoe more information contact your safety lanceh@nosa.co.nz Forreseller or Lynn River on 0800 104 568 09 415 1212 Albany Auckland

kE

64019

NFT 64027 PU 64028

NFT 64007 PU 64008

145 PBI Height Safety Ltd Gavin How Safety Ladder Legs gavin@pbiheightsafety.

John Kempthorne com The leading global health, safety and john@safetyladderlegs.

03 357 0093 course now 167 NTTenvironmental DATA Figtree (HSE) e-learning co.nz Harewood available Systems NZ Ltd for the general industryChristchurch 027 495 8987 Fleur Burrows Hamilton East Setting one standard across your global operations grace.zhou@nttdata.com HSE legislation 130 Quality Safety 09 352Country-specific 2077 Accredited by IOSH and IIRSM Safety Nets NZ Limited Jason Myburgh Level 31 Vero Centre Available in multiple languages Craig J Daly jason@qualitysafety.co.nz Auckland 24/7 access to content craig@safetynetsnz.co.nz 06 348 9522 Interactive e-learning platform 09 478 9047 Wanganui than 5,000 exam centres134-A OliverMore Footwear Triton Plaza Odette Parker 168 Rapid Test Systems odette.parker@honeywell.

Safety Step NZ Ltd Wayne Peters com +27 (0)21 334 916 E-mail: info@samtrac.com | Website: www.samtrac.com Dean Cockerton wayne@rapidtestsystems. +61 3 5320 0217 COURSE NOSA New Zealand (Pty) Ltd | lance.hiscoe@nosa.co.nz dean.cockerton@ com.au Ballarat safetystep.co.nz 0437 810 940 Victoria 09 271 4355 Bentleigh Australia Drury Victoria Auckland Australia

112

133

91

- Approved -

oliver

PB 49 series

166 Optimum Results Ltd Wayne Milicich wayne@ops.co.nz WOMEN’S SafEty fOOtWEar 07 858 3040 Hamilton East Hamilton

38

March/April – 2015

Reverse Alert New Zealand David Walshe bps.aust@bigpond.com 022 344 1294 Albany Auckland

94

Scaffolding, Access & Rigging NZ Inc Linda Birkby admin@sarnz.org.nz 04 589 8081 Lower Hutt Wellington

127

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Company

Stand No

Solemate Safety Solutions Judy Rynn judy@solemate.co.nz 06 843 3663 Napier

96

The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) John Tidswell accounts@tdda.com 09 477 0032 Albany Auckland

87

Tru-Bilt Industries Ltd Mark Taylor mark@tru-bilt.co.nz 03 488 2060

122

Spelean PTY Ltd Greg Foord greg@spelean.com.au 029 966 9076 Oamaru

140 104

Technical Compliance Consultants Yvette Baker info@techcomp.co.nz 09 475 5240 Browns Bay Auckland

97

The Glove Company Grant Staples grant@theglovecompany. com.au +61 2 4916 3000 Taylors Beach New South Wales Australia TriEx Workplace Health, Safety & Wellness Brenda Baynon brenda.baynon@triex. co.nz 03 341 4080 Tower Junction Christchurch

136

106 Vanguard Group Ltd Brendan McLean brendan@vanguardgroup. co.nz 04 5870150 Lower Hutt Wellington

ZOLL Medical New Zealand Pty Ltd Charlotte Isaac cisaac@zoll.com +61 2 8424 8740 Sydenham Christchurch

90

The leading global health, safety and environmental (HSE) e-learning course now available for the general industry Setting one standard across your global operations Country-specific HSE legislation Accredited by IOSH and IIRSM Available in multiple languages 24/7 access to content Interactive e-learning platform More than 5,000 exam centres

+27 (0)21 334 916 - Approved -

COURSE

E-mail: info@samtrac.com | Website: www.samtrac.com NOSA New Zealand (Pty) Ltd | lance.hiscoe@nosa.co.nz

www.isn.co.nz

39

H E A LT H

Quality as well as quantity important when it comes to sleep It may have been a rather unusual sleep-enhancing accessory that Dr Andrew Veale spotted online, but it helped reinforce his conviction that few of us are getting enough good-quality sleep

T

he Ostrich Pillow can only be described as an alien-looking, squishy headgear with a small oval hole cut out for the nose and mouth.

It was worn by a sleeper in the airport and the photograph showed a small crowd gathered around in bemusement.

The designers, a collaborative studio in Spain and Switzerland, said they wanted to create the perfect environment for a power nap, either at airports or at the desk.

The truth is that very few of us get enough sleep. We work too many hours, play too hard, and sleep is seen as negotiable – something we can cut down on. Sleepiness has become so common that we hardly recognise it as such.

Sleepiness sneaks up on us slowly over years. It’s so insidious that we seldom realise the problem – but some indicators are a change in habits. We no longer have the energy to go out in the evenings, or we avoid driving long distances unless there is someone else in the car with us.

We also become very good at rationalising – “I’m a mother; I work in a stressful job, or I work shifts”.

There are generally three causes of sleepiness.

The first is simply that it’s a lifestyle choice, but the second two – shift work and sleep apnoea – are worthy of closer scrutiny as they will undoubtedly affect productivity in the workplace and can even be dangerous.

It’s not often that rostering practices take circadian rhythms into account - many shift workers have schedules that work against their natural body clock Shifting goals It’s not often that rostering practices take circadian rhythms into account. Many shift workers have schedules that work against their natural body clock.

Rotating shifts and variable start and finish times play havoc with the physiology. Companies seldom pay sufficient attention to Shift-work Disorder because they see optimisation of capital as more important than optimisation of staff.

They are also protected against some of the costs associated with sleep deprivation. If a driver falls asleep and kills himself on the way home from work, that cost is picked up by ACC and the family. The company goes on to employ another driver.

Legislation is changing though.

One fall-out from the Pike River tragedy is that company directors are now held culpable for health and safety in their workplaces.

The Health & Safety in Employment Bill includes a ‘due diligence’ clause, which means directors need to ensure that those with management responsibility for workplace safety are discharging their duties appropriately.

Is it just snoring or is it sleep apnoea?

The most serious, yet easily treatable, cause of sleepiness is Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). This is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterised by the recurrence of repeated upper airway obstruction during sleep, and it can have longterm effects.

Sleep consultant Dr Andrew Veale: Unaddressed sleep disorders are linked with a decline in productivity and, in certain industries, can have catastrophic consequences The typical candidate for OSA is an overweight middle-aged man who has a thick neck and tongue, yet this picture can be misleading.

Another indicator of a tendency to apnoea is an inherited facial bone structure that is a physical factor which can stop you breathing at night, so even slim, young women who have inherited an undershot jaw can have OSA. Sleep apnoea is, of course, not the only sleep disorder: there are nearly 100 ways not to get enough sleep.

Some typical and not-so-typical examples Sleepiness caused by Shift-work Disorder and OSA is seen in some obvious industries. Truck drivers are over-represented because they fit the criteria almost exactly.

Fonterra fights fatigue All Fonterra drivers were invited to take part in a fatigue management programme that involved first answering a simple questionnaire.

Everybody who volunteered also had a home oximetry test – they were issued with a machine that monitors the oxygen levels in the blood during sleep. When a client is not breathing properly during sleep (snoring is an indicator), these levels fall.

The Fonterra drivers were then categorised into three groups: • those who reported no sleepiness and returned a normal oximetry result had no further investigation

40

March/April – 2015

• t hose who reported feeling sleepy and returned an abnormal oximetry result were immediately put forward for assessment and put on a rapid pathway to treatment at the NZRSI • the middle group who reported sleepiness but had a normal test or who didn’t report feeling sleepy but returned an abnormal result were seen by a specialist for further assessment.

It clearly made sense for Fonterra to send the affected employees for treatment so they could be back on the road safely and quickly.

They tend to eat poorly and on the run. Often, they’re away from home at breakfast time so they’ll skip that then eat an unhealthy take-away lunch and a very large dinner.

This diet causes weight problems which not only increases the risk of cardiovascular disease but also apnoea – which increases sleepiness and the risk of a crash.

Other environments where it is seen are forestry, the dairy industry, nursing, and in the public transport arena where bus drivers and train drivers often do split shifts.

Sleep disorders are also a productivity issue.

Chief executives with sleep apnoea report high levels of stress in that they no longer trust their own mental-processing ability.

Whereas they used to read a 40page board document once, make a decision and move on, they report having to read something three or four times, make notes in order to firm it up in their minds – and they still fret about their decision. In the period before someone nods off, they haven’t retained or understood anything.

The sub-editing profession is another one where shift work schedules have had an effect. I’ve seen two clients with circadian disorder who worked night shift at the NZ Herald. One was pulled up by her bosses for writing headlines and a sell that bore very little relation to the true content of the article. We used chronotherapy (light treatment) to help reset her body clock.

What should industry be doing?

Unaddressed sleep disorders are linked with a decline in productivity and, in certain industries, can have catastrophic consequences.

The pathway to dealing with it is three-pronged: the individual has to recognise they have a problem; the company has to recognise that it’s in its interests to mitigate that problem and sleep services then need to be engaged.

Industry should: • instigate training for shift workers on how to cope effectively with their lifestyle. Workers should

Truck drivers are particularly at risk of sleep disorders and could be encouraged to take a brief nap while their vehicles are being loaded be encouraged to design their life around their shift rather than to try and force the shift around their home life. It is important to teach shift workers the importance of regular sleep architecture (i.e. consistent bed time and pre-sleep routine).

• allow night workers 20-30 minute power naps while at work. Truck drivers could be encouraged to take a brief nap while their vehicle is being loaded. It’s about time companies understood the value of this in increasing productivity.

• where driving is involved in the employee’s role, they should be invited to partake in a Fatigue Management Programme which assesses workers for sleepiness by objective testing and then, where necessary, fund treatment through a sleep service such as the NZRSI. Over time, the occupational health and safety environment within larger New Zealand companies has changed.

In-house health campaigns no longer happen the way they used to.

It was once commonplace for larger firms to have a company doctor.

Fisher & Paykel are one firm that still offer this, but more usually an occupational physician is contracted to advise on strategy and broad-brush issues.

When NZ Railways recognised that sleepiness was a major issue among train drivers, they hired an occupational physician to instigate a fatigue management programme.

These days, employees’ personal health tends to be their own responsibility. They’d be advised to see their GP. Even if sleepiness was a concern

and they were to take the initiative and visit the doctor, that doesn’t mean the situation would be resolved.

The waiting time within the public health system to undertake a sleep assessment is three to four months.

At the NZRSI, we can have a driver assessed and treated within a fortnight.

Numbers add up When it comes to sleep disorders, intervention has been shown to be cost-effective. In the Economic Evaluation Of The Treatment Of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome in Aotearoa, a research paper by Scott et al (2007), the cost per QALY (Quality Adjusted Life Year) was given at about $94.

This is a measure used to determine the value-for-money of medical intervention.

To put this in perspective, Pharmac will fund a drug if it costs less than $20,000 per QALY. So, even though prices will have risen incrementally since then, that figure is a miniscule price to pay for the degree of benefit derived from the treatment.

In addition, companies need to take into account the ‘hidden’ costs associated with loss of productivity through sleep disorders.

For some, the incentive is a lot less obscure. If a truck and trailer unit is lost through an accident, for instance. The incident may be covered by insurance but premiums will inevitably rise, not to mention the high price paid for the suffering and distress to the family – and even the bad publicity that might occur.

The legislation In Europe and UK, legislation is

much more prescriptive – but there are vested interests involved.

In America, sleep labs were advocating for people with a BMI over 35 to have a sleep study every year.

While we don’t want to go down that route, regulations that underpin a robust public/private system are needed.

And, for shift workers, legislation that recognises the true situation regarding their work time must be improved. Bus drivers commonly work three or four hours in morning then have time off (unpaid) until their next shift which starts at two o’clock for three or four hours.

While they are working eight hours a day, their day length is actually 14 hours.

A logging truck driver might have to get up at three in the morning to go to the depot to pick up his truck at five, then drive one hour to a forestry cutting head. His driving time is counted only in the truck not the time to go to work from home.

They effectively work a 16-hour day and yet their log book shows 12 hours.

Perhaps every company that employs shift workers should make an investment in the Ostrich Pillow - instead of just sticking their collective heads in the sand.

Dr Andrew Veale helped to establish New Zealand’s first Polysomnography Sleep Laboratory 20 years ago and is now a consultant at the New Zealand Sleep & Respiratory Institute (NZRSI), a purpose-designed facility in Greenlane which specialises in sleep studies and in treating sleep and breathing related disorders such as sleep apnoea

www.isn.co.nz

41

PPE Sponsored article

Creating New Zealand’s safest hands

Dexterity and ergonomics are crucial elements in making a glove choice – especially when it comes to work situations

G

loves that are tight or ill-fitting restrict movement and increase stress on the hands and forearms.

Bulky gloves can cause workers to exert more force in handling tools and objects, which can lead to removal of the gloves or longer term injuries.

Hand protection is constantly evolving to meet the demands of a wide array of industries. Employers have the responsibility to provide their staff with not only the safest hand protection, but they must also choose gloves that allow their employees to conduct their roles in a productive manner.

Leather gloves have for many years been the standard form of hand protection for medium to heavy duty jobs. Leather gloves do provide good mechanical properties for abrasion and puncture resistance – however, given leather is essentially the skin of an animal its properties in relation to cut protection are similar to human hands.

As years have passed, innovations in both yarn technology and glove manufacturing mean that gloves have become better fitting, which in turn contributes to improved productivity and a reduction in hand injuries.

Seamless knitted gloves were pioneered by Showa in the early 1990s, are extremely versatile and have revolutionised the fit and feel of hand protection.

Advances in polymer coatings (e.g. latex, nitrile and polyurethane) have further enhanced the durability and grip properties of these new generations of gloves.

A growing trend that Lynn River has noticed over the past year has been the increase in enquiries about solutions for cut protection in gloves, particularly gloves containing lightweight, durable cut-resistant fibres such as Dyneema®.

Dyneema is a continuous-filament fibre made from ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE).

The fibre is 15 times stronger than steel on a weight-for-weight basis

42

March/April – 2015

yet is so light that gloves made of Dyneema float in water!

Dyneema® is the world’s strongest fibre and is used in applications that demand extreme strength from a lightweight, flexible, sustainable material – including cut protective gloves.

Gloves made with Dyneema® can provide the following benefits: Comfort If gloves are not comfortable to wear, employees won’t wear them at all times. This is especially apparent where a worker has other tasks that they need to complete that require high levels of dexterity (e.g. filling in a manifest).

The risk in these situations is that the employee returns to their workstation without reapplying their gloves, potentially leading to injuries which increase the total system cost of your PPE program.

The ultra-fine, flexible filaments that make up Dyneema® gloves provide unsurpassed levels of dexterity to overcome these issues. Gloves made with Dyneema® make delicate tasks with sharp objects easier and quicker to complete and staff are also less likely to take off their gloves and expose their hands to risk.

Dyneema® also has high thermal conductivity, meaning that it disperses body heat quickly to the outside of the glove. Tests have demonstrated that when wearing a glove with Dyneema® the actual hand temperature stays very close to normal body temperature.

are washable and yet retain their shape and performance level.

This means the lifetime cost of a pair of gloves constructed with Dyneema® will often be lower than cheaper alternatives that either cannot be washed of break down over time.

High abrasion resistance Protective gloves are regularly exposed to sharp objects that abrade them: the more a glove is abraded, the less cut protection it offers.

Naturally, the higher the abrasion resistance that a glove offers the longer the wearer is protected consistently across the lifetime of the glove. As can be seen in the diagram (P43), gloves with Dyneema® offer this kind of consistent cut performance.

Thanks to the smoothness and high-crystalline properties of the Dyneema® fibre, the abrasion resistance is extremely high and cannot be matched by any other fibre.

Dyneema® offers extremely high levels of abrasion.

Reliability DSM Dyneema controls all aspects of its product through the use of a global licensing programme.

DSM Dyneema produces its own UHMWPE polymer, sells the fibre only to certified manufacturers and markets the finished products exclusively through licensees with proven technical capabilities to support the Dyneema® brand. Lynn River has been a DSM Dyneema licensee for over 15 years and is the only New Zealand-owned licensee within the programme.

Washability Employees feel confident putting on gloves that look as good as new.

Glove constructed with Dyneema®

Cost efficiency Cost efficiency is the total cost (or saving) of the choice of glove you make, including purchase, replacement, and the savings of fewer accidents and higher productivity.

Although personal injuries should be prevented at any cost, the best value gloves are the ones that pro-

tect the wearer while also raising productivity.

Gloves made with Dyneema® have proven to improve cost efficiency in the following ways; • high cut resistance reduces injuries and associated costs • high durability extends how long gloves last • high comfort improves productivity.

If total system costs are taken into account, gloves containing Dyneema® provide some of the most

cost-effective hand protection solutions available in New Zealand.

The next generation Taking all the points that need to be considered in selecting the most appropriate glove for your needs the next generation of gloves has arrived. The latest cutting-edge gloves from Lynn River combine the advantages of a knitted seamless liner, incorporating Dyneema® fibre and a range of coatings to suit your environment.

Tips for finding the right gloves • C onsult an expert: Safety gloves have evolved at a rapid rate over the last decade. To ensure you have the best combination of protection and value, seek professional advice from an expert. Finding an expert that specialises in hand protection ensures you will be offered the latest products available in the market.

• Identify gloves appropriate for your application and hazards: The recommendation for gloves best suited for your needs should be tailored based on an audit of your environment and risk assessment.

• Get key staff involved: Having employees involved in the process is a key to the ultimate success of a hand protection programme. Getting feedback from users involves them in the process and in doing so increases their ownership in the decision.

• Carry a full size range: Once you have decided on the appropriate glove for your needs, ensure a full range of sizes are available. You wouldn’t ask your staff to wear boots two sizes smaller than their feet so why expect them to squeeze their hands into a glove that doesn’t fit?

• C ommunicate glove use by application: Communicate to each department the gloves you have selected for each application within the department.

Anthony Griffin is General Manager, Commercial at Lynn River, who are widely regarded as the glove professionals in New Zealand.

They offer a free 4-Week Trial Program (4WTP) site audit and assessment programme to guide buyers through the assessment, trial, evaluation and implementation processes

For the latest in health and safety news in the workplace, visit our website www.isn.co.nz www.isn.co.nz

43

SITE SAFE AWARDS

Building an expressway to safety

The winner of the AWF Group Safety Innovation Award for Large Businesses in the Site Safe 2014 Construction Health and Safety Awards came up with an innovative solution to the age-old problem of providing effective health and safety messages to staff and sub-contractors

A

ny project involving the construction of over 18 kilometres of expressway with 17 bridges and a 20-kilometre cycleway offers immense safety challenges, and the first stage of the Wellington Northern Corridor Roads of National Significance (RONS) programme is no exception.

The MacKays to Peka Peka Expressway (M2PP) project being delivered by an alliance comprising Fletcher Infrastructure, Higgins, BECA and the New Zealand Transport Agency will take three years to complete, employ over 300 people and engage in excess of 3000 contractors.

“The challenge was to communicate a series of health and safety messages in a cost-effective and efficient way to site workers who traditionally ignore print media and tend to see safety rules as ordinances from on high,” M2PP Alliance Health Safety Wellbeing (HSW) Manager Tim Barry explains.

“To achieve this we have developed a series of short videos that

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blend real and animated footage into a format that provides an engaging and informative way of getting key messages across to a wide range of people.”

The innovation was developed after looking at how large infrastructure projects typically deliver HSW messages and wanting to find a way of providing and reinforcing information that many people have seen and heard many times in a fresh and engaging way.

“Many people on the project have worked on similar construction project and had seen all the posters, read all the newsletters, been to all the inductions,” Mr Barry admits.

“It was vital to try and engage these people from the outset and break through the ‘seen it all before’/’re-badge some old posters’ thinking.”

The team therefore looked at how powerful and prevalent user video content has become on social media and decided to utilise this type of platform on the project.

“The idea to use animated versions of our people was to drive engagement, develop talking points and lighten up what is sometimes a bit of ‘dry’ subject matter, as well as to provide important messaging to a workforce with limited literacy levels. “ The M2PP HSW team worked with local film makers and animators on the concept, explained the typical audience and came up with a formula for an initial trial video, which was developed with a couple of the project’s senior superintendents.

“We ran the trial videos past a few workgroups and got positive feedback, both about the concept and also about how effective the message delivery was,” Mr Barry explains. “Subsequently we have developed 14 videos to date, with a further 10 planned.”

Project performers The team used different people in many positions on the project in the animations to add credibility to the

messages, as people on the ground are able to see that HSW is being promoted and driven across the whole project and not just the HSW team and management.

This approach to HSW information delivery is unique, Mr Barry believes. “Organisations have used video messaging, but the use of real people and animation is a first,” he says. “This approach provides information that has traditionally been provided by posters, procedures, guidelines or photo-guides in manuals.”

The primary barriers to implementation were making sure that there were easy mechanisms for people to access the content. “We produced stickers that had a QR code on them which linked to the videos, provided information and help for people to get the right application on their mobile devices, as well as providing budget tablets and information screens in key locations,” Mr Barry explains.

The project YouTube channel and

intranet also hosts the animations, which can be used at team meetings or briefings. “The use of real characters also drove the uptake and use as people wanted to see their peers and workmates in this format.”

The benefits have been almost immediate. “We have reduced the issue of ‘poster blindness/staleness’ with this approach,” Mr Barry maintains, noting that project sites often have posters about HSW, environment and quality that can blur into a general background that may not be looked at or understood easily.

Equally importantly, it is economical as the animation is a one-off cost to produce, QR code stickers cost approximately $1 each and Web hosting costs nothing. “When

compared to the cost of engaging a designer for a poster, subsequent production and printing costs, this means that the animated video messaging is no more expensive than producing traditional large posters and visual collateral, and can be watched thousands of time without the cost of re-printing or distribution,” Mr Barry insists.

“The tablets that we have made available across site cost $59 each, which again provides a very cost-effective way of engaging our workforce in HSW messages and requirements.”

The animations have also been powerful as HSW “conversation starters” and are a good medium for toolboxes and team meetings as

they use humour to get serious messages across, allowing people in the field to easily provide expert advice without a HSW team member being present or simply reading a safety alert.

“We also use them at inductions and training sessions and our sub-contractors are able to view them via our YouTube channel, which allows them to communicate our expectations to their teams prior to them coming onto the project.”

Employees have benefitted at all levels of the project. “Our employees, work teams and contractors are able to access the information in the field, which allows supervisors and superintendents to quickly reinforce requirements or expectations

to crews at any time, for example at toolboxes,” Mr Barry observes.

People with low levels of literacy can understand and engage with HSW messages in a way that was not possible previously, and it has also broken down barriers within work groups by allowing everyone to participate in HSW discussions/ toolboxes.

“The initiative can foster long-term benefits to HSW performance, as it provides training and information in a way that is repeatable and transferable across many operations,” Mr Barry believes.

“We are able to use the medium to communicate a wide range of HSW subjects and to assist in the implementation of new practices.”

Mobile magic proves popular The primary features of the award-winning M2PP Alliance innovation are: • u tilising mobile technology and widespread use of mobile devices across all layers of the various workforces • using the YouTube video hosting platform to make key HSW messages easily available to contractors and suppliers outside of the alliance • measureable uptake – by the end of the project the M2PP Alliance HSW team will be able to know how many times a message has been viewed, unlike a traditional poster

• t he blend of animation and real footage – all the locations and people are recognisable and relevant to the audience, which develops HSW culture and engagement across the project • a reduction in production costs and time as more and more of the animations have been developed utilising a library of backgrounds, characters and other material that can be used in subsequent productions.

To see M2PP’s animated clips go to: youtube.com/user/NZTransportAgency - MacKays to Peka Peka play list

www.isn.co.nz

45

LAST WORD >> Campus news

University support for a safe environment Canterbury University research is leading to new applications to improve health and safety

Dr Kim Wise

Matt Cobham and Ashok Fernandez Health and safety sorted A student-developed company is helping the construction industry better work through health and safety incidents on the spot.

SiteSorted, set up by University of Canterbury engineering students Matt Cobham and Ashok Fernandez, is a web application that allows workers in the construction industry to report health and safety incidents to the office from a construction site in real time.

The application can be accessed from almost any device that can browse the internet, which means it can be used by site workers on their existing mobile devices.

The support and interest from industry has been “overwhelming”, Mr Cobham says. “Most recently, we attended an infrastructure sector conference run by some of the largest and most respected associations in the industry,” he explains.

“We did a live demo at the conference to show the attendees what our current system can do, and had a tremendous amount of positive feedback about the direction we are taking with our product.”

SiteSorted ran a trial with Worthing Contracting, which had been searching for a software solution for some time, to see what improvements SiteSorted would have on a real construction site.

During the trial site workers spent no more than a minute filling out the smart form, and all events reported were actioned within the

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hour and closed within a day. “The average time for completing a paper-based health and a safety form on site was around 10-20 minutes, and after the paper work was done it took a further one to three days to complete an investigation and close the event out,” Mr Cobham says. “As the SiteSorted smart form took less time to fill out, the number of incidents reported by workers on site went up by 200 percent.”

Reducing the risk of car park fires The potential for a fire to spread through a multi-storey car parking building is largely dependent on how many cars are parked in the building, the size of the vehicles and the way they are distributed at any given time.

If a fire does start in a car parking building, it has the potential to spread between neighbouring cars and could result in catastrophic damage and loss of life.

One of the University of Canterbury’s fire engineering PhD students, Zahir Tohir, is undertaking research on the risk of fire in these buildings and has developed a model which assesses the probable severity of incidents in the event of a fire.

Engineering students Cole Anderson and Nic Bell are currently doing a survey of car parking buildings as a full year research paper which gives students an insight into postgraduate studies.

“There is an acceptable solution

for car parking building design but it does not distinguish between different types of parking building The question is then how large of a fire should a car parking building be designed for?” Mr Anderson says.

However, there is currently almost no real data to compare the accuracy of a model to design a car parking building to take into account a potential fire. “The aim of our project is to collect data from different types of car park buildings and analyse it to see if Zahir’s model predicts similar results,” Mr Anderson explains.

“We studied more than 4,400 cars at shopping mall and hospital car parking buildings around Christchurch. We looked at two issues – cars in single rows and cars facing each other in double row.”

The project will continue through to next year, though the researchers will present their study to the university’s annual civil and natural resources engineering research conference on campus in October.

The University of Canterbury has one of the leading fire research groups in New Zealand and the research is being supervised

by Associate Professor Michael Spearpoint.

The ringing in some people’s ears University of Canterbury clinical audiologist Dr Kim Wise is investigating treatments and training approaches, to help improve management of hearing loss and tinnitus.

Internationally, about 10-15 percent of adults face chronic tinnitus – the perception of noise or sounds in the ears or head often described as ringing, buzzing or hissing without an external cause.

“Of those experiencing tinnitus, 20 percent will seek clinical treatment and advice,” Dr Wise says. “Nearly 91 percent of those presenting with tinnitus as a primary concern, will also demonstrate measurable hearing loss.”

There is therefore, a link between various types of hearing loss, hearing system injury or pathology, and tinnitus emergence. “There are sometimes other factors which may occur with, contribute to, or sustain tinnitus – such as sleep disturbance, attention and concentration issues, depression and anxiety – but treating hearing loss is an important initial step in tinnitus management.”

The brain has the ability to change, demonstrating plasticity, Dr Wise notes. “Medical treatment and some forms of training can help patients regain function after a stroke such as improved speech, memory, attention and concentration,” she says.

However, the brain can also manifest maladaptive change due to injury, perceptual changes in the sensory systems, or disease. “I have been involved in research developing an attention-based training method to manage tinnitus,” Dr Wise explains.

The project was aimed to determine if a computer-based auditory perceptual training game would result in the reduction of tinnitus and if any improvements were due to auditory attention.

Any cancer Any question The Cancer Society’s free support services can help you or someone you care about: • Understand cancer • Get through treatment • Cope with emotions • Find support For cancer information and support phone the Cancer Information Helpline

www.cancernz.org.nz

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