Worksafe stories
Remote workers’ homes can count as workplaces, leaving employers on the hook for safety checks, policies and incident response.
A single workplace death can trigger wide-ranging costs for families, firms and public services, with New Zealand accidents estimated at NZD $3 billion a year.
Small firms could soon measure health and safety performance with a new government toolkit aimed at lifting standards beyond compliance.
Missing the certified system by 4 April will invalidate licences, forcing asbestos removers to stop work and risking prosecution.
A new filling system has eliminated strain injuries for OnGas workers after testing nearly 6,000 LPG bottles a day across New Zealand.
Workers handling asbestos will need new training units from 4 April 2018, as New Zealand tightens rules to cut exposure risks.
A worker was left tetraplegic after a harvester injury, with a horticultural firm and its director fined and ordered to pay GBP £336,000 in reparations.
Real-time reporting is replacing paperwork on construction sites, giving managers a clearer view of hazards and boosting worker awareness.
Farmers face tighter limits on quad bike passengers after safety guidance said riders should only do so when no reasonable alternative exists.
Removal firms face a deadline as current certificates expire before new asbestos licences become mandatory on 4 April 2018.
New Zealand directors may face sharper scrutiny after an Australian ruling over a contractor’s electrocution clarified who counts as an officer.
Workers and neighbours were exposed to asbestos fibres after demolition proceeded without checks, leaving a North Shore homeowner with a NZD $49,000 bill.
Back injuries during lambing have been cut for a Nelson farmer after a second-hand wheelchair lift let him move ewes without strain.
Inspectors issued enforcement notices in hundreds of cases after noise, chemicals, silica and asbestos emerged as key workplace hazards.
Nearly half of mining safety certificate candidates failed last year as examiners said many lacked the legislative knowledge needed for safe operations.
Poor ladder use causes most falls at height in New Zealand workplaces, with many incidents occurring below three metres and injuries often severe.
A builder was left unable to work for a year after a 300 kg bundle of weatherboards fell from height in a timber yard.
Customers were exposed to a banned nail glue linked to headaches and skin irritation after an Auckland salon admitted safety breaches and was fined AUD $13,500.
Workers and nearby residents may still be exposed to methyl bromide at several ports, despite a court warning over health and ozone risks.
New Zealand workplaces are being urged to review risks after the holidays, as fatigue, dehydration and poor safety habits can raise injury rates.
