Rebecca, your point about there being multiple subcontractors at Pike, many of them one man bands, leads to a question about the further atomisation of work, ie: the gig economy. So far as I am aware, no H&S regulator in the world has so far grasped how to offer such workers any protection.

WorkSafe has until 9 Dec to lay charges over White Island/Whakaari. Presuming they do so, it is likely to be even more politically fraught than Pike, given the eyes of the international media will be following the case on behalf of the tourism sector.

We most certainly can!

If only someone could come up with some kind of Critical Risk Indicator that can be reported to senior management and board in a way that generates appropriate actions if controls are insufficient. Then CRI would naturally tend to displace the misleading and attention-diverting LTI/TRIFR.

For those unable to download the PDF (because not a member of the Forum), here is the text:

Farmstrong takes out top national health and safety award

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Wednesday 11 November 2020

The nationwide agricultural sector wellbeing programme Farmstrong has taken overall honours at this year’s New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards.

Fifteen awards were presented at a gala dinner at the Cordis in Auckland last night, having been postponed from the original June date due to Covid-19.

The awards, which began in 2005, are organised by Safeguard magazine and proudly supported by WorkSafe New Zealand. The awards are judged by a panel which includes representatives from WorkSafe, Safeguard, a union, and two health and safety practitioners.

Peter Bateman, convenor of the judging panel and editor of Safeguard, said Farmstrong’s intense focus on the mental health of the rural community is to be commended.

“Farmstrong seeks to engage with farmers in a relatable and authentic way which a generation ago would have seemed unlikely.

“Farmstrong also has a real commitment to research, which is generating statistics that are being shared within New Zealand and abroad.”

The winners were:

The WorkSafe New Zealand/ACC best overall contribution to improving workplace health and safety in New Zealand

Farmstrong

Dentons Kensington Swan best initiative to address a work-related safety risk

Ixom
A new training facility replicating a client site allows trainee chemical tanker drivers to learn the basics of loading and unloading using water, eliminating the risk of chemical exposure.

WorkSafe New Zealand best initiative to address a work-related health risk

Fonterra Co-operative
Occupational health nurses were given additional training to enable them to lead and implement a new risk-based health strategy in their re-imagined role as health navigators.

Vitae best initiative to improve worker health

Treescape
Has partnered with the National Foundation for the Deaf to support staff with hearing loss, to offer apprenticeships to those with hearing disability, and to raise awareness of noise-induced hearing loss.

NZ Safety Blackwoods best initiative to encourage worker involvement in health & safety

Refining New Zealand
Replaced its global behavioural safety approach with E Tū Tangata, a values-based framework created and championed by its own workers and contractors.

3M best use of New Zealand design/technology to eliminate or manage a risk

Voideck NZ
A new modular suspended working platform design allows a temporary floor to be fitted to a building under construction. The design is adaptable to voids of any shape.

Impac best collaboration between PCBUs

Frucor Suntory
A significant and open-ended collaborative project to review risks associated with machinery across multiple plants saw multiple improvements made.

ACC best leadership of an industry sector or region

Farmstrong
This wellbeing programme for farmers tracks its own progress using quantitative and qualitative measures and has become a widely recognised brand in the rural sector.

NZISM health and safety practitioner of the year

Adele Saunders, St John
Supports staff involved in traumatic events and has built a model of psychological care which aims to build adaptive capacity for staff to be able to dynamically manage risk.

edenfx HSE Recruitment emerging practitioner of the year

Gareth Beck, Aurecon
Formed the Emerging Safety Leaders group to help establish a solid pipeline of younger people into the H&S profession.

Vero Liability health & safety representative of the year

Chris Gorringe, Department of Corrections
Issued a Provisional Improvement Notice to get door access made safer after a number of staff were able to be assaulted due to design faults, and contributed to the new design.

Countdown lifetime achievement awards

Colonel Clare Bennett
Recognised for developing a mental health strategy for the NZ Defence Force which has achieved real culture change and has been adopted by other organisations.

Mike Cosman
Recognised for devoting his working life to health & safety, including being an influential member of the Independent Taskforce which outlined new legislation and a new regulator.

ecoPortal judges’ commendation awards went to:

Department of Corrections
Developed a structured, repeatable deep-drive approach to critical risks which highly engages senior leaders, guarantees input from staff and identifies clear actions.

Grant Pritchard, Spark New Zealand
An advocate for mentally healthy workplaces who has created a 600-strong peer support community within Spark and has influenced other organisations on psychological safety.

PPE and residual risk are highlighted in this RNZ story this morning.

Two questions for the board and senior management of all frontline workplaces (the managed isolation and quarantine hotels, the hospitals which treat Covid patients, and international airports/seaports):

• are all available controls against Covid risk in place (and how do you know)?
• is the remaining residual risk to workers at a level acceptable to you?

These are the sort of questions a regulator like WorkSafe would be in a position to ask, should it choose to do so.

The published survey results are here.
Only 12 respondents indicated they worked in the not-for-profit sector. Going back over the years we have run this survey, we have always set a limit of at least 20 responses in any given group to justify publishing a median figure for that group.
(We acknowledge that, statistically, calculating a median from as few as 20 data points isn't optimal. But we set that limit in an effort to balance statistical validity with readers' need-to-know.)

Perhaps a better question to ask would be: what other types of job or role are comparable to H&S roles?

Fingers crossed for the special votes ...

Mind you, the prospect of asking Grant Dalton what frustrates him is a bit daunting.

Sounds like farmers would appreciate a Safety-II approach: talk to them about their work (not about H&S) and then ask some questions around what frustrates them, what work-arounds they have to take and in which circumstances, etc. So you can demonstrate your interest in their work and that your motivation is to help make it better.

Nice examples! Can anyone else chip in with practical training techniques they have found resonate with people?

The 2019 Safeguard incomes survey had 456 responses of which 46.3% were male and 52.8% female. The 2020 survey - to be published in the next magazine - is about the same. How indicative the survey is of the broad H&S practitioner population is open to question, but it's probably a fair indicator until a better one comes along.

FYI this Newsroom piece today is probably the best summary I've seen so far.

The topic of H&S pre-qualification came up a while back on the Forum and generated quite a bit of heat! Here is the earlier thread.

Inspiring people, and great to see you now paying it forward!

Nice tribute, and thanks for being first to have a crack at this!

Here's a story from a recent Safeguard that might be of help.

My own preparation? I'm voting YES. See the Chief Science Advisor's report if you are wavering.

A gentle reminder that the income survey closes 18 September.
More than 370 people have already completed it.
If you aren't one of them - there is still time! Your input would be much appreciated.