As a bit of background, the OPs company did have a formal H&S plan, sounds like it was a bit of a generic system that had been purchased and then languished on a shelf, rather than been tailored to suit the companies type of business activities and it's staff.

I think there is some gold to be found for Carol,or anyone going into a long established company without a formalized H&S sytem and culture in this thread

Focus on improving work, rather than identifying safety issues. Most people are happy to talk about making their job better. Remove frustrations, difficulties, pressures they face due to inefficiencies etc and then the safety improvements will come naturally enough. Most incidents are people trying to get the job done in some less than ideal situation. Fix that, no incident. — Craig Marriott

Yes, totally agree, it's interesting that an SME of 100+ souls, would have no formal H&S systems etc already existent, which is why I would like to what it does and what prompted Carols appointment. The OP's comment that H&S reps were "appointed" suggests that maybe it's a reaction to the messiah thing (here are the commandments etc etc). Talking one on one about how work is being done, with the troops that do it, is always the logical first step.

Hello Carol, what industry is your company active in? Much of a history of workplace accidents previously?

Are we actually as bad as we make out to be in H&S? — PaulReyneke

Hi Paul
Happy New Year to you, Rebecca was responding to questions and observations about what has changed/improved in New Zealand with regard to H&S in the ten years since Pike River, no comparisons with other jurisdictions H&S efforts were made. But your links are making an interesting read, keeping in mind there are lies, dammed lies and statistics

Let us keep on getting better, let us continue to improve and never rest. — PaulReyneke

The brief to Worksafe was to reduce the death toll/injury rate in New Zealand, in this, they appear to have failed. The workplace death toll stumbles along at approximately two Pike Rivers per year, while the injury rate appears to be steadily growing serious-injury-outcome-indicators-2000-19
So I for one am not convinced that we are getting better.

Competent Person Requirements

Under AS/NZS3760, the onus is on the person responsible for a site and it's electrical installation/appliances to ensure the Competent Person has the skills, experience and knowledge listed in Clause 1.4.4 correctly, safely and to the jurisdictional requirements that apply in the location items are being tested at.

Appendix B is provided to give the Responsible Person guidance on the body of knowledge that the Competent Person is required to have.

It's fairly extensive, and more than can be covered in a course lasting a day or less, if you are using either an in house CP,, a test & tag service provider or a Registered Electrical Worker, you still could carry the can if they get it wrong.

So what should an RP do?
Get a copy of AS/NZS 3760 (and 3012 for building sites)
Ask to see evidence that they have had some training (duration, on line or in person)
Ask to see their copy of AS/NZS 3760
Ask for a copy of their Public Liability Insurance
Ask what test gear they will be using and evidence that it's calibration has be checked within the last 12
months.
Ask for evidence of their experience performing Test & Tag to AS/NZS 3760 requirements
Ask to see what reports they will provide post testing (the RP's problem for DIY TnT)

I would also suggest the carpark in the photo (plus many others I come across) could benefit from a reverse parking policy. — Matt Ward

Not enforceable in this location, a company can "require" visitors to their site park in a given manner, but in a location where joe public is going to park, it will mostly be ignored.

Dedicated, demarcated and physically separated zones for pedestrians and vehicles would seem the trick here Stuart. Have seen it done effectively in some carparks where guardrails guide pedestrians and prevent people crossing anywhere other than a dedicated crossing point. Relatively low cost. Signs (no matter how great) should only be supplementary to real 'hard' controls. — Matt Ward

Yes, don't have store entry/exit next to a driveway, don't have long corridors that vehicles can build up speed anywhere peds are going to be. A classic fail is to have the Mall on one side of a road and a car park on the other.

I wonder how much more some speed bumps or other similar physical (engineering) controls would have been for the car park? — MattD2

That seems to be something that is conspicuously lacking with a lot commercial/retail zones, rather than have dedicated flow in, circulate around and then flow out, the theory appears to be how many collision points/ blind spots and combined entry/exit points (entering vehicles turning right and exiting ones doing the same) can we create.

I like the roadworks sign that says "Slow down, my Dad works here", was impressed by the plonker that overtook us driving through some of the EQ remedial work on SH1 just south of Kaikoura after we had just passed that sign.

It's been a funny old year, with lots of learning to be had for sure. Congratulations everyone on another successful celestial journey of 939856896 Km (give or take),

If you are able to take holidays at Christmas, enjoy, but spare a thought for those that can't because they have to work, or have no dosh because they aren't, or don't have enough left from the job(s) they work at.

And be glad and immensely proud of living in and being a part of one of the few countries that has been able look beyond political differences, and knock the bastard off

Hi Rebecca
How long is a "shift day", how long do they have to travel to a call out, location vary, or are they being called back to get/keep plant running, do they get multiple call backs in one break period?

Subscription to SafeGuard Magazine :halo:

Tragedy At Pike River should be required reading for all managers, company directors

Why are they laying charges against GNS as they are an advisor service and cannot ban people from any activity?? They had raised the alert level and advised the affected parties who then made decisions based on that information. — Don Ramsay

That's certainly one aspect that has me perplexed Don, just ticked a bucket list thing and did an overnight cruise on Milford Sound (highly recommended BTW). Overnight, weather brewed up a bit and I wondered, if as a consequence of the weather, would Worksafe charge the service providing the weather report to the tour boat operator, if the boat founded.

I think WorkSafe are now using the breadth of charges as the new regulations intended them to be used, which in turn will make business work as intended — Mike Saunders

I agree Mike, it will be interesting to see if they take on board the need to up their game in getting the regulations and codes of practice that they are responsible for, either updated or in place.

I don't think that this will work, because the majority of fines since the new Act has been introduced have been based on the firms ability to pay without making them insolvent. — Mark Taylor

It would be interesting to know how many PCBUs that receive a fine, get hammered again for a similar offence. I have had three clients get fined for workplace accidents, they subsequentially improved their approach to H&S procedures, which for two of them were already very good.

The other was a small two man building company, who really lifted their game afterward, it was unfortunate that one guy got turned into a T3 paraplegic following a fall from the top plate of a single storey house while setting up the roof trusses without scaffolding in place. Ironically, scaffolding was due to be set up the next day, the guys thought it would be easier to get the trusses in place first.

And, this may be one of the reasons that accidents have not decreased in 10 years because the deterrent is not significant enough and manslaughter is of the cards? — Mark Taylor

I wonder if a part is the lack of publicity that the few prosecutions get

Does anyone have a Workplace Fatigue Flowchart they can share. — rebecca telfer

Hello Rebecca
What purpose do you see the flow chart serving? Here's a link to a PDF that the Northern Territory Electrical Supply Company use WHS-51 Fatigue Management Procedure

SteveH

If there is a problem (and I'm not convinced there is), then the answer is to increase maximum fines and, perhaps, give the court guidance about how to assess different levels of culpability against those new maximums. — SafetylawyerNZ

I'm a firm believer that the problem lies more with the lack of active (and consistent)policing of the various Acts and Regulations that should be receiving attention from our H&S regulator, and less with the fines and penalties handed out when things go pear shaped and they are forced to act.

I wonder if the HSW Act was being enforced as it should, with the capacity to reach high up the food chain with prosecutions, if it would be necessary to enact corporate manslaughter? — Rebecca Macfie

That is both the problem, and solution in one. WorkSafe amongst it's many roles, is also the Electrical Regulator in New Zealand, it shows little interest in any kind of policing of the regulations it's supposed to be enforcing. In part this is a resources problem, but it also appears to be driven by an ideological view, that a hands off approach is best (think Meerkats) I have news.....it's not working.

If the Pike29 had their time over again and they could turn back the clock what is the one thing you think they would do differently from a workers perspective? — Matt Ward

Leave. My son in law worked as a miner at Pike, after previously working in Australian mines.

He left exactly one week before the mine exploded. Pike River was a $500 problem for which there was only ever about $50 to solve.

Going back to the H&S regulator, would having a charge of corporate manslaughter available to them make any real difference?

I fail to see how our record will change until there are proper consequences for disregard for workers' lives. That means prosecutions and penalties. — Rebecca Macfie

I have long been a believer that part of our dismal H&S performance can be laid at the door step of the ACC legislation preventing workers damaged (or killed) in workplaces from suing their employers for damages, what are your thoughts on this?

What exactly has changed in New Zealand workplaces that makes them any safer? Given that about every five to six months around the same number of workers die in workplace accidents around the country as died at Pike River this day ten years ago.

Excellent book Rebecca. Thanks for writing it. — Andrew

+1, should be a must read for any manager, or company director

"The message was inspired by meerkats and their ability to sense danger and protect one another. The new campaign will roll out over the next six months and is premised on the idea that like a meerkat we all have the instinct to sense danger."

Crikey, and I thought the results of the cannabis referendum hadn't been announced yet, much less that it passed and it was OK to use happy baccy, or are WorkSafe's creatives smoking something else