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Understanding Risk Trial of new mentoring programme for silviculture workers proves successful

Prue Younger, CEO MessagePrue Younger, CEO Message

This month I approached Safetree contributors about the up-and-coming Risk Workshops that are going to start up again around the country and asked for an overview on what one might expect going along to them. So, this what they told me (relax, I promise you this isn’t another Health & Safety article). Ten silviculture crews around the country have completed a trial of a new mentoring programme developed by the Forest and Wood Processing Workforce Council, with funding from the Forest Growers Levy Trust and support from MPI. Mentoring Programme Manager, Greg Steele, says the Council is looking to improve the status and mana of the silviculture sector.

“We want to formalise mentoring in the forestry training infrastructure, especially as some good crews already do take on this role. “Using the process, we aim to get new people more skilled earlier in soft and practical skills. We selected crews who were interested and had a new entrant to put through.”

Currently new entrants are encouraged early on in their work to achieve unit standards to meet compliance standards.

“We thought if we identified other key interpersonal, Risk, Health and Safety have become three words almost guaranteed to turn off an audience and stop people from reading any further. So, over the last five years we have been trying to get people to think about risk in a different way. Why? communications and induction skills and packaged them on a time-serve basis, for example within the first month, that could work. A person following the full programme will achieve seven to eight full introductory unit standards as well as achieving time-served milestones. They will be What we have found is that the more we develop risk recognised at each milestone, beginning with a one-month management processes the less engaged people become. certificate. Some of the guys have nothing in the past from The process programmes the team to complete that process school.” often for the sake of the process itself or for “evidence”. Evidence, you ask. Well, of course, you need to be able to prove that you have managed the risk when things go wrong. The irony is it hasn’t prevented the incident. As well as the presentation of a certificate in front of their peers, their elements achieved are downloaded via App onto a smart-card which shows these credentials as a part of their record of learning. A QR code allows scanning and Think back to the first risk you learnt to manage. It was immediate access to credentials held. almost certainly eating hot food as a baby, and how did you The mentoring programme is designed as a package that learn? That’s right you felt pain and learnt to blow before you can run up to 36 months. The first three months have been bite. You probably still get caught out with a hot pie from time trialled by the 10 crews. The trial results were assessed in to time though. Usually when you are distracted, driving or in late December and a report prepared for the Taskforce a rush, right? Council. What about learning to cross the road? The process is pretty simple. Find a safe place to cross, “Stop, Look, Listen”, and if the road is clear, cross carefully, but keep looking and listening. This is the simplest of tasks we have been performing Greg says he is happy with the trial outcomes. “The intent is now to ramp the programme up, engage more crews in 2022, and establish the training with funding from the education sector. since we were very young which carries a reasonable risk. If “Mentoring depends on someone being prepared to you think about it, the process is automated now, but your address it and become a role model, rather than leaving a actions of crossing are not. You still use your senses (sight new entrant to their own devices. In many cases, they turn and hearing) and perception (judging speed and distance) to people around and provide a real service to the crew and the cross safely. Now think about the close calls you have had community.” when crossing the road. Were you rushing, distracted, drunk Troy Mason, Managing Director of KTM Silviculture based or all three? in the Wairarapa, says the mentoring programme allowed So, thinking back to work, what does that risk management process actually do for you? There’s a question you should be asking amongst the team, do you serve the process, or does it serve you? their mentee to complete and pass three assessments in a day on the job – in communications, health and safety, and nutrition. “He is well on his way to getting his national certificate; that will be a huge reward for us. He is probably one of the Safetree has collaborated with WorkSafe New Zealand to strongest young fellows I’ve ever seen – a qualified builder and run regional workshops around the country talking about a shearer. He has a good work ethic and is willing to learn. Understanding Risk. We have run nine workshops with more than 200 “He works in a great team environment and is outdoors all day.” people to date. Troy has worked in the industry for What we have found so far is that people can all talk about the process of managing risk, but the processes aren’t really in balance with the people. For example, one of the harvesting crews we worked with had a very poor understanding of risk. After a couple of hours helping them think about more than just identifying hazards, they called out the risks that they remembered experiencing at a time when one of their crew suffered a fatal incident. Here are the risks they identified 30 years. His company employs 18 staff. His company does all aspects of silviculture and over the years he has employed many young people. “Many are referred to us by the police to give them a go and try to turn their life around. Some are at-risk or troubled youths. Some are too far gone to turn around. “A lot of them don’t have a good work ethic. They don’t have a lot of confidence – we try to build that. (after the fact):“That’s why there are accidents in forestry – they have issues, they have financial burdens at home. “It’s being able to read them, take five minutes, being able to talk to them – whether it’s me or a crew member – and build a whanau-way around them; getting to know one another and if they are mentally okay.

“As a company, we try to take the financial burden off our employees. We pay our cutters and production leads more than others pay them and because of what we do for them, their output is higher. As a result we deliver very good quality work to customers, which I can then reward in turn.” Ben White, Director of Ace of Spades Contracting based in the Bay of Plenty, is also a supporter of the mentoring programme. His company has two staff going through it. When asked, “what would you do in hindsight?”, they came up with some strategies for dealing with some of the risks. Asked further, “whose responsibility was it to manage the risks?”, they only identified themselves. They didn’t understand that risk management must be influenced by everyone involved in the work and that other people in the supply chain can actually put better controls in place by designing the work better. “It’s a better way of learning, especially if you have experienced mentors in the crew. Our workers don’t like to be cooped up in a classroom where things go over their heads but out here in the forest, they can relate to it. It provides a point of difference.” He says their mentees are receptive to the information which includes safety and a knowledge of the bush. His company employs 16 people to do a variety of silviculture work and was set up two years ago by five directors who are Some food for thought? Safetree will be running more FREE good mates. “The company evolved from that friendship,” Understanding Risk workshops in June around the country. says Ben. Dates and locations will be advertised on the Safetree and FICA Facebook pages soon. Come along, have a listen, a yarn and a cup of tea and we encourage you to take time to put these learnings back into your business. “I love my job; being outside seeing the sunrise and sunset. It’s the crew you’re with that makes it; the culture is so great, and our people have bought into it. “Silviculture is never going to wind up. Trees will always need Thanks to Safetree, FISC and WorkSafe New Zealand. to be planted and they will always need to be cut down.” Recently I have joined the Council and with knowledge of the Review of Vocational Education progressing through to 2023, this project and pilot is going to provide some valuable feedback into the Training Strategy for the Forestry Industry. Thus, we are keen to keep you all informed across it as it has some alignment with the harvesting sector as well which will be complimentary to this specific silviculture mentor pilot.

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