2016 D&A Survey Questionnaire
Have you completed the 2016 D&A Survey Questionnaire form?
READ MOREHave you completed the 2016 D&A Survey Questionnaire form?
READ MOREWorkers have the detailed knowledge and experience of how work is done. This means that workers can help their employer, a person in charge of a business or undertaking (PCBU), to make better decisions. With knowledge and experience, workers can also help the PCBU to prioritise the health and safety matters that need to be addressed in the workplace.
READ MOREThe ACoP Safety and Health in Forest Operations – (s.12, page 81) states that the “…the contractor/employer shall have a documented process to determine and identify the safe retreat position for each line or days’ work…” (12.2.23) and …including the head breaker-out… “shall ensure the process is understood, agreed and carried out...”
READ MOREChecks and maintenance! The risks associated with a machine fire are enormous – they can cause serious harm as well as major forest fire with costs running into the millions of dollars!
READ MOREWhat is Anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis (according to Wikipedia) is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. It typically causes a number of symptoms including an itchy rash, throat swelling, and low blood pressure. The most common causes include foods, and medications, however, in forest operations the main culprit is insect bites and stings – most notably from WASPS!
READ MOREViewpoints change… George Bernard Shaw, the Nobel-Prize and Oscar-winning Irish playwright said: “…Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything…”
READ MOREBack in 2009, PF Olsen Ltd commissioned a survey of its workforce that centred on the newly released ‘Plantation Forestry Code of Practice – Eliminating Drugs & Alcohol from the Workplace’. The survey responses provided great insight and helped design our programs.
READ MOREThe risks associated with chain-shot have motivated and galvanised action from machinery and equipment suppliers alike – and rightly so.
READ MOREWhat is chain shot? Like a bullet, it poses a serious injury risk to machine operators and bystanders alike.
READ MORESlippery Logs – extra precautions! With the onset of spring weather, increased sap flow in trees generally points to one thing – slippery logs – and especially in mechanised operations where more bark is removed!
READ MOREThe Best Practice Guide for Personal Protective Equipment on page 3 notes, “a hi-vis garment that is dirty or faded will be less obvious to other workers and thus will provide less protection to the wearer. Garments should be washed regularly to preserve their high visibility. If washing does not restore high visibility, the garment should be replaced.”
READ MOREThese rules are for immediate implementation (1 September 2015) for all new purchases of Hi-Vis clothing. We do understand that the new rules (for more general implementation) will require a grace-period in order for Contractors to complete a full retrofit of crews. In view of that, the date for full compliance has been set for the 1st November 2015.
READ MOREThe ACoP Safety and Health in Forest Operations – (s.3, page 28) states that the “…employer shall provide all appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect employees from harm due to any hazard at the work area, and shall ensure it is used correctly, inspected and maintained to fulfil its protective function.”
READ MORE“…There is a tendency, over time, to accept defects, faults …and shortfalls as normal or as a part of normal practice.” – The Harvard Business Review calls this ‘the normalisation of deviation’.
READ MOREDuring July there were four driving incidents involving frosty conditions and NIWA is advising a few more frosty periods this winter.
READ MOREAn ‘ever present risk’ when working with fuels!
READ MOREClimbing into or out of the cab - follow the checklist!
READ MOREA skidworker was seriously burnt when his cigarette (or perhaps lighter) ignited fuel that had spilt from the chainsaw onto his clothing and body.
READ MOREIncident reviews suggest that workers are up to 35 times more likely to be injured working during an upset condition than during normal operating conditions!
READ MOREThe ACoP Safety and Health in Forest Operations – (amendment s.18, pages 12-13) states that the employer’s ‘…documented health and safety system…’ should include ‘…stop-work processes for …upset conditions’!
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