29 March 2023

Robyn Bennett

NZISM President

In our busy fast-paced, ever-changing environments, it can be challenging to look outside of our current workspace and maintain an awareness of research, trends and initiatives that are happening offshore. However, if we do not protect time to do so, we remain reactive, not proactive. Monitoring trends is important so that we can anticipate the future impact on our capacity, capability, labour markets, and supply chains. Maintaining sight of the curve can protect our workforce and ensure we are responding in a timely and considered manner, rather than playing catch up at the end. One international trend that we might look to is the development and adoption of CLOCS – Construction Logistics and Community Safety.

Developed in the United Kingdom to reduce road trauma associated with construction logistics, and implemented by Transport for London, CLOCS has also been adopted as a good practice approach across Australia (known as CLOCS-A). The programme has been designed as a framework to support the management of risks and impacts associated with construction on-road transport and logistics activities. The CLOCS Standard: Ensuring the safest, leanest and greenest construction vehicle journeys (V4:2022) outlines the responsibilities and duties of the four key stakeholders:

  • regulators
  • client
  • contractors
  • fleet operators

and there are significant resources to support the implementation. The overall aim of the programme is to improve community road safety. CLOCS case studies indicate that implementation of the programme has contributed to the reduction of casualty rates and incident frequency.

Why is this relevant to us?

Construction is a significant economic contributor for Aotearoa New Zealand, and we can see evidence of this across the country, with major construction projects happening in most towns and cities. Although meeting ‘chain of responsibility’ obligations has been untested by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, it is possible that this area will gain greater attention as health and safety systems mature.

As noted earlier, it is essential that we are aware of international advancements that may be applicable to us. So I urge you to take a moment to have a look at the standard and consider if there is relevance to your workplace.

Ngā mihi,

Robyn Bennett
CEO, President

If you wish to contact me, please do so by email at president@nzism.org

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