We tried to make relatable to each area instead of a whole lot of info in a system. Our H&S reps helped to develop a short doc summarising the key risks in their area with photos and easy to read text. The first page is the same in all areas explaining how to get into the incident & risk management system & who to contact if you have any issues, questions etc. Feedback so far has been positive.

My question would be regarding the potential for the forlift to hit the racking & it collapse into the walkway. Would it be practiable to close the walkway when forklifts are in use?

If you are working at the moment I would suggest you try to get on the H&S committee. That would help get you some real life experience in H&S work. Career change is definity possible - I made the switch from sales to H&S, I got a junior H&S role and studied part time to get qualified. There are H&S roles in healthcare though for a lot you need a nursing background especially for patient safety. Currently I work in H&S in healthcare as part of the quality team, my area of responsibilty is on the worker side rather than patient so nursing experience required :) Good luck

I think that its concerning that in a relatively young industry such as H&S there is such a big discrepancy between male & female salaries

Hi, yes we do but are in Healthcare. Vaccine passes are required for those with patient contact

We train all workers to be wardens then no matter the shift pattern or who is on site there is someone to take on the role. Incident controller (aka head warden, OIC) is by role and they have additional training on top of the basic warden.

I agree vaccination is an engineering control as it does not eliminate the risk. RAT's are health monitoring and I would put under admin. It is used as a control to identify covid positive workers so therefore helps to reduce risk of spread within the workplace.

Couple of tips - In a straight load float the heaviest horse should travel on the inside. We have a double safety chain which is crossed under the towbar. If you are purchasing a float (or hiring) make sure its braked, and tandem are a lot safer as if you have a tyre blow out you are less likely to lose control. Double your following distance and Drive slower! On corners I would normally do 10km less than the sign, also coming out of the corner don't accelerate until the float is back straight behind the car. And pull over when you can to let others pass. Driving with an empty float feels totally different to a fully loaded one.

More like this https://nzsafetyblackwoods.co.nz/en/3m-jupiter-powered-air-respirator-each-117877 & https://nzsafetyblackwoods.co.nz/en/3m-versaflo-headcover-integ-head-suspension-s-333l-large-each-406535
The unit actively blows air into the hood so there is no extra effort to breathe. Very good for asthmatics & those with facial hair

All masks that fit tightly to the face are going to be hot and uncomfortable when wearing for long periods. Those that are vented are a little more comfortable. Powered air is a lot nicer to wear as its a hood and with fresh air blown in via a battery pack but they are definitely more of an investment.

The British Occupational Hygiene Society have a very easy tool to use - https://breathefreely.org.uk/ventilation-tool/

Good point Robb, not law yet (but it will be). To me its definitely a positive step and has helped my organisation with planning & clarity going forward.

@diannecampton
@aaronmarshall
Anyone working in healthcare or education that is not fully vaccinated after 1 Dec & 1 Jan will not longer be employed. It won't be difficult to manage, its the law. Some people will have a very serious decision to make, if they don't get vaccinated they will not only not have a job but they will end their career. Given that lots of new contracts in other industries will require vaccination getting a new job somewhere else may not be easy.
With regard to the query will support staff like cleaners, contractors need to be vaccinated. I work in healthcare and yes all working on site will be required to be fully vaccinated to work on site. My employer is now requiring a copy of the official MOH letter, a vaccination card is not enough. More detail & information is to be released from 18 Oct so that should tidy up the loose ends re testing etc. Agree the boosters will add another layer of complication re proof

This announcement brings clarity for these industries and will save time.

I agree, programs like the Block should be using the correct safety equipment

Check out Chemsafety they just had a webinar on the change to GHS. They did say that the calculator will be updated though WorkSafe have not confirmed the time line. The two systems are going to need to work in tandem for a while.

I have used
Healthcare Industry - Current system; The patient safety company for clinical & non-clinical incidents & risk management, Who's On Location for visitor & contractor management. Previous system RiskMan
Manufacturing - MyOSH

Thanks heaps!

We have had 2 fall from height incidents (railings hit by vehicles and dislodgeed), we notified on both occasions. Worksafe agreed one was notifiable, but said the other one was not. When I queried the difference, the explanation I was given was that for one incident a pedestrian was in the vicinity and therefore could have been severly injured/killed, whereas in the other one, there was no pedestrians, not over a walkway so much lower risk.

Another good book is Black Box thinking https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24611735-black-box-thinking