Calls for farm vehicle safety tales
Industry-led farm safety organisation, Safer Farms is urging farmers to share their first-hand experiences with reducing harm on farms.
ACC and WorkSafe New Zealand have launched the inaugural 'Reducing Harm in New Zealand Workplaces Action Plan'.
The 'Reducing Harm in New Zealand Workplaces Action Plan' is taking a new look at how, together, we can better support the agriculture, construction, forestry, manufacturing and health sectors to make significant improvements to keep their workers safe.
The plan also focuses on the most common causes of injury across all sectors – slips, trips and falls; working in and around vehicles; body stressing, and respiratory health risks. Underlying this is a new focus on fundamental changes that support health and safety culture, such as worker engagement and participation.
The Plan supports their collaborative efforts to meet the government's target of reducing serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace by at least 25% by 2020.
"Our agencies are committed to working in partnership with industry to meet the government's target and achieve positive health and safety outcomes for all New Zealanders," says ACC's chief customer officer, Sid Miller. "Partnering with industry gives us a more in-depth understanding of what causes harm and severe injury across all New Zealand workplaces, rather than just single problems in single sectors."
WorkSafe's chief executive, Gordon MacDonald, says input from both agencies would ensure better outcomes. "What businesses want to see from WorkSafe and ACC is clear advice and a consistent, practical approach. That's what the Plan will help us deliver – smart, targeted injury and harm prevention programmes based on the best available evidence."
However government agencies cannot do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in keeping themselves, their co-workers and their working environment safe. "Good health and safety is about making sure we all take the right steps to keep ourselves and our workmates safe and healthy at work" says MacDonald.
There are a number of programmes in the Plan already underway, including Safetree, Safer Farms and the Canterbury rebuild programme. Other programmes are in the development stage, which means we are engaging with stakeholders and gathering evidence and data to support interventions.
"Industry and business can have confidence that we've taken an evidence-based approach to severe injury and harm prevention; that what we are delivering for and with industry are agreed, targeted and smart approaches to tackling the causes of severe injury and harm," says Miller.
"Businesses, workers and the public rightly expect government agencies to work together and the three-year Plan is a major step towards a smarter, more co-ordinated approach to keeping New Zealanders safe and healthy," says MacDonald.
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
World Veterinary Day falls on Saturday 27 April.
The Director General of MPI, Ray Smith says it's important for his department to celebrate the success of a whole range of groups and people around the country.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.