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Understanding the Hierarchy of Controls

In every industry, safeguarding the workplace from hazards and risks is more than just a regulatory requirement – it's the right thing to do. Ensuring the safety of your people is crucial – it is also a multifaceted challenge. The key to navigating this challenge lies in the Hierarchy of Controls, a systematic approach that helps businesses ensure they have the right controls in place to eliminate or minimise risks.Imagine the Hierarchy of Controls as the ultimate business GPS to guide you f...

Health and Safety Representation – Changes You Need To Know

Recent changes in the laws governing health and safety representatives in New Zealand (namely the Health and Safety at Work (Health and Safety Representatives and Committees) Amendment Bill) aims to significantly strengthen the health and safety representation of workers…so what are the changes that you need to know?Broadly, they fall into two categories: an increase in the number of health and safety representatives and an increase in the number of health and safety committees.These changes m...

Building a Safety-Conscious Team: Strategies for Engaging in Hazard Identification

Hazard identification plays a crucial role in preventing workplace incidents, injuries, and illnesses. By proactively identifying and managing hazards, organisations can protect their employees, reduce downtime, improve productivity, and maintain compliance with regulatory requirements. In this blog article, we will delve into the significance of hazard identification in New Zealand workplaces, explore different types of hazards, and discuss strategies to engage your team in hazard identificatio...

Behind the Scenes of H&S Success: Why Great Health and Safety Policies Are a Game Changer

Here at OSHbox, we frequently receive H&S questions from business owners and a question that comes up time and time again, especially from Employers is: "Why is a health and safety policy so important?"It's a question often asked with a hint of scepticism, as if policies are just another piece of paperwork instead of crucial ‘behind the scenes’ tool for a safe workplace.So, what is the purpose of a good Health and Safety Policy?The primary purpose of a good health and safety policy is to...

Hit Pause: The Power of Breaks in Boosting Health and Safety

In this fast-paced, go-go-go society of ours, we can lose sight of the value that lies in pausing for a moment to relax, recalibrate, or even sneak in a speedy round of wordle.The impact of a well-timed break can be truly transformative, and it's high time we gave it the credit it deserves.Work Hard, Rest HarderOur society glorifies busyness. We're surrounded by the ‘hustle culture’, making us feel that the longer we work, the more successful we'll be. It ignores the fact that busyness also ...

Mastering Totika Prequalification: Your Safety Passport with OSHbox

In the fast-paced life of a small to medium business owner, prequalification processes like Totika have become the safety passport for companies to obtain contracts, but a massive challenge when it comes to finding the time to achieve them.So, what is this ‘Totika’ all about, why is it important to set time aside to get it, and other prequals done, and how can the team at OSHbox help you conquer it and other prequals with ease?Totika is like the safety Olympics for businesses: It's a thoroug...

5 Common Workplace Hazards to Watch Out for This Winter Season

As we head into winter, it's important to be aware of the unique hazards that come with this time of year. From slippery surfaces to cold stress, here are five common workplace hazards to watch out for: Slippery Surfaces: As temperatures drop and rain, sleet, and snow become more common, it's important to be aware of the potential for slippery surfaces both inside and outside the workplace. Now is the time to clean floors, decks, and stairs to remove dirt, mould, and debris. Ensure all Work...

From Predictive Analytics to Virtual Training: How AI is Changing the Future of Workplace Health and Safety

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach health and safety in the workplace. By leveraging the power of AI, organisations can gain insights into safety risks, predict potential hazards, and make data-driven decisions to prevent incidents, injuries, and illnesses. Here are some of the ways AI can be used to improve health and safety in your workplace:Predictive analytics: AI algorithms can analyse data from various sources, such as incident reports ...

Your Health and Safety Wellness Check: Part 5

Have you reviewed any incident reports?Have you discussed winter procedures with the team? Consider the darker and cooler working conditions, slippery roads, how to protect your outdoor machinery from winter weather and how to manage additional pressure due to weather related delays. Have you checked how many first aiders you currently have and do you have an adequate number of them?Have you checked fire extinguishers to ensure they are fit for use and serviced?  Does you team now how to us...

Your Health and Safety Wellness Check: Part 4

Are your displayed emergency procedures up to date with correct details and emergency equipment? Have you done a site walkaround or building inspection recently? Has your system been reviewed externally (by OSHbox) to ensure it is being used as well as it could be within your organization? We recommend you do this annually. Health Monitoring: Have you considered flu vaccinations before winter? Do you have hearing checks and lung function tests up to date (if applicable)? Have you had an eva...

Your Health and Safety Wellness Check: Part 3

Your Health and Safety Wellness Check: Part 3 ✅ Have you checked any PPE to ensure it’s in good condition and winter PPE is ordered? ✅ Have a site walk-around… Is your signage in good condition and easily read? ✅ Has your equipment been checked/serviced recently? ✅ Has your machinery got manufacturer’s instructions available? ✅ Have you added any new purchases of equipment/tools/machinery/plant to your Hazard Register? Keep up the good work!...

Health & Safety Wellness Check: Part 2

Part two of the 25 questions to work through to ensure your health and safety is up to date and not floundering. ✅ Have your contractors filled in application forms and been approved within last two years? ✅Are your employee contact details up to date? ✅Has your electrical equipment been test and tagged and is current? ✅Have you checked your first aid kits to ensure they are fully stocked and products not expired? ✅Is your manual (and supporting documents) up to date? Check the footer ...

Health and Safety Wellness Check: Part 1

2022 is flying by and we’re hearing from a lot of people, understandably, say they are getting behind. As you know, we're massive fans of checklists, so we have compiled a list of 25 questions to work through to ensure your health and safety is up to date. So that you don't have a seizure, we've broken up the list into five parts and will send these out over the next five weeks.  Get tickin'....

Podcast: Listen to Angie speak as a guest on NZ Charity Podcast

Angie, our OSHbox Director, was invited to speak with Tom Nabbs, founder of The Waterboy on the NZ Charity Podcast.  Check it out NZ Charity Podcast...

Isolation: Working Remotely

With your team working from various locations, managing regular toolbox meetings, projects and documents has created some breakdowns in processes and communication.  If you haven't already, its time to embrace technology! We've popped in some handy tools we have used to keep OSHbox running smoothly. Shared To-do Lists OnlineAs you know, it can take many hands to complete a task for a customer or client. We use an online tool called Trello to manage our workload, but there ar...

Phase 3 of the Red Level

We move to Phase 3 of the RED level at midnight tonight…so we've summarized all the good bits so you know who needs to isolate and what financial support you may be able to get if workers are off work. IsolationFrom midnight tonight, close contacts will no longer be required to self-isolate - only those confirmed cases of COVID-19 their household contacts are required to isolate. Below is a handy diagram for you to share with your team. TestingRapid Antigen tests will now b...

Close Contacts – Bubble of One and Exemption Scheme

With a greater number of COVID-19 cases in the community, we have had an increased number of queries around close contacts returning to work during their required self-isolation time. If you are considering a close contact Worker returning to work, please ensure you assess if they do actually need to be onsite (could they work remotely) and ensure you meet Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 requirements to maintain a safe operating environment while you have them onsite. At Phase Twoanyone ...

What happens under 'Phase 2'.

From midnight tonight, NZ will be moving to Phase 2 of the Red Level. To quote Jacinda, "What this looks like": In Phase 2 rapid antigen testing (RATs) may be used more widely, there will be shorter isolation times, and digital communication with close contacts or contacts comes into play. Isolation period for cases is reduced to 10 days and contacts to seven days. Anyone who tests positive for the virus under Phase 2 will be notified by text message and be directed to an online self-investigati...

We're checking mad round here.

We're crazy for inspection checklists and have been ticking along (see what we did there?) drafting inspection checklists while we updated our 2022 system. If you have been meaning to create your own pre-start,  maintenance or inspection checklists for your vehicles, machinery, buildings or sites, we may have just what you need in our library of templates.   Buy an editable template that you can tailor to suit your needs or talk to us about customising or creating checklists spec...

All for one, and all for ...er, RED.

All of NZ is back in the Red. This morning we all entered our workplaces under the Red setting in the Traffic Light system. The risk of undetected community transmission is high so just a quick reminderto reassess your COVID-19 safety plans (officially named COVID-19 Protection Framework) to ensure that you and your team are familiar with how to operate under the Red Traffic Light setting. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions. Other helpful links:Businesses and workpla...

Covid has shown us how committed NZ'ers are to H&S

What a whirlwind the last few months have been! As I sit here reviewing the Covid-19 article I had originally written for this blog (which wasn’t published due to other priorities during lockdown), I’m blown away by how much has changed. My original article had been written in March at a time when we were only just beginning to consider introducing protocols such as avoiding shaking hands and increasing cleaning measures in our office. I certainly couldn’t have predicted how quickly thing...

Covid-19

*Updated March 20, 2020The number of Coronavirus related enquiries from organisations around NZ has continued to grow - so we thought it best to give you some direction. If you are wondering what you should be putting into place at your workplace…this should help... Here is a summary of the most common tips for Employers to start implementing now: Actively encourage Employees to stay home at the first signs of illness and not to return until they are free of symptoms for at least 24hrs En...

What is 'Health Monitoring' and what do we need to know

Health & Safety at Work Act legislation and what businesses should be thinking about for the health of their workers. Why is this important? From June 2018 to June 2019, there has been 87 work related deaths in NZ as well as over 700 work related injuries. Below are some points to keep front of mind when considering the health of your workers. The PCBU (employer) is required to undertake a primary duty of care, so they need to concentrate firstly on health risks that come from the workplace and ...

Emergency Plans

Hi Everyone, Following the tragic events of Friday afternoon, as a team we have been thinking of our Christchurch clients, friends, family and all those who have been affected.We whole heartedly agree that this kind of act and those who commit it, have no place in our country, or any other. Unfortunately it is also after such events, that from a Health and Safety viewpoint, we all must review our emergency plans. In this case, for a situation many of us never imagined having to face.&n...

The myth behind Test and Tag

We posed this question to Richard Rousseau from Fire & Safety Testing NZ, here is what he had to say: "It makes absolutely no sense that testing an RCD would automatically ensure that any appliance plugged into, or powered from said RCD would be safe to use.  The only way that any appliance could be cleared for safe use is by performing a physical visual test, and then running a sequence of electrical tests to check for insulation resistance, earth resistance, and conductor continuity, am...