News
What constitutes a road?
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters of NZISM. One of the aspects of my role as President of NZISM is working with members and stakeholders to unpack some of those challenging technical issues that we come across. Sometimes we get conflicting advice, and it can be hard to know the correct approach to take. In response to a query, I recently posed the following scenarios to colleagues at Waka Kotahi, regarding the definition of legal roads and how this could be applied to truck yards. This is an area of interest for many practitioners, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share. ...
WorkSafe - time to rethink their training model
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters. Last Thursday we received the announcement from WorkSafe that Phil Parkes, WorkSafe CEO, has resigned and will be finishing up with WorkSafe at the end of 2023. ...
Whakaari and WorkSafe - troubling times
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters of NZISM. I have been watching, with growing concern, media coverage of both the outcome of the Whakaari court process and, at the same time, the cuts being made at WorkSafe to meet the requirements of their budget. It seems that, anecdotally, many of my colleagues share these concerns. And while there is significant discussion about things done or not done, and a lot of questions being asked, what is apparent to me is the impact on many of our NZISM members who are inspectors at WorkSafe. ...
Launch of HSR Knowledge Wheel and Guidebook
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters of NZISM. This past week has seen the launch of the HSR Knowledge Wheel and Guidebook at the SafeSkills Conference Roadshow. It has been quite a journey getting this work across the line, but with this week’s release, we have managed to deliver a valuable tool to our HSR community. ...
Celebrating 5 years of the HASANZ Register
Five years and steadily growing! This week HASANZ celebrates the ...
The Gift of Bad News
As members of the health and safety community our organisations face numerous challenges when it comes to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment. We know it’s important to celebrate successes and accomplishments, and many of us do this very well. However, it is equally crucial to pay attention to bad news and negative feedback. It can be an uncomfortable and challenging experience, but being open and receptive to bad news can assist in improving an organisation's health and safety.For all of us, our primary goal is to protect the well ...
Why is the mental wellbeing of workers our responsibility?
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM,A common question asked by business owners and leaders, often from genuine curiosity, is ‘why is mental health and wellbeing of workers our responsibility?’The short answer is, in New Zealand, workplace health and safety encompasses not only physical risks but also psychosocial risks. And that a person conducting a business or undertaking is required to ensure the safety of their employees, protect both their physical and mental health and manage risks arising from exposure to hazards at work. Hence the importance of considering psychosocial risks that can impact worker wellbeing. ...
Victoria University of Wellington reviews viability of Maste...
You may have heard that Victoria University of Wellington has a $33 million shortfall in its budget. As part of its response, the university is reviewing 59 programmes, including the Master of Health, in Workplace Health and Safety. ...
Commonwealth OHS. Leaders
This year's World Day for Safety and Health at Work (Fri 28 April) marks ten months since the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted a safe and healthy working environment as a fundamental right. To mark the occasion, IOSH has reached out to ten OHS leaders from across the Commonwealth and NZISM President, Robyn Bennett, was one of them. ...
Top 5 Things to have the biggest impact on H&S in workplaces
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters. Thank you to all those who responded to our recent request for feedback on the top five things that members believe would have the biggest impact on health and safety in workplaces, in Aotearoa. Unsurprisingly the issue that had the largest response was improving regulatory engagement. ...
CLOCS
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. ...
Consultation on HB 167:2006 Security Risk Management
Standards Australia has invited Standards New Zealand to participate in a project relating to a handbook which is currently joint and where it is perceived that New Zealand may have an interest in participating in this project. Proposal Doc 1 Proposal Doc 2 Seeking your inputStandards ...
International Women's Day - 8 March
And just like that, it's March! One of the exciting events this month is always International Women’s Day on 8 March. One might ask why, in 2023, we still observe International Women’s Day (IWD). It is a global celebration of the political, cultural, economic, and social achievements of women that also highlights the work that remains to achieve genuine equality. IWD invites us to reflect on gendered or diversity, equality, and inclusivity (DEI) issues and consideration within our own organisations, as well as those organisations that we support and across the industry. ...
Cyclone Gabrielle
To all of our members across the North Island who have been impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle, our thoughts are with you. ...
Introducing myself
Kia ora koutou to all members and supporters of NZISM. I write this in my third day as NZISM CEO, and I’m humbled and excited to work with you all in our shared mission to improve workplace safety. I’m determined to deliver a great member and volunteer experience and to use your expertise to make New Zealand safer and healthier. I want to begin by telling you about my great grandfather, William George Friend. ...
Newly accredited members
Congratulations to those members who are already off to a flying start in 2023 having successfully taken their next step along the accreditation pathway. ...
Christmas wishes
Kia ora koutou members and supporters, This is the last newsletter of 2022 and I’d like to thank you all for being part of this amazing community of practitioners and professionals. I’d like to give a very special thanks to all our members who volunteered in 2022, working tirelessly to support your peers and the industry. Your mahi on behalf of all of us is much appreciated. ...
The importance of Face-2-Face Connection
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the HASANZ conference in Wellington. It was a few years in the making and it was a fantastic event. There were so many excellent presentations over the two days I am confident that everyone in attendance went away with some gems to think about, particularly in terms of how to embed what they learnt into their individual ‘business as usual’ and how to support their organisations to grow... ...
ACC's AEP - its time to consult
Kia ora koutou members and supporters of NZISM. Consultation on proposed changes to ACC’s Accredited Employers Programme (AEP) is open and there are only a few days left to make a submission (due 6 November 2022). The current AEP regime is over 20 years old now and has been overdue for a refresh for a while now. ...
International update from INSHPO
Greg Dearsly represents NZISM on the international stage as President of the International Network of Safety & Health Professional Organisations (INSHPO). INSHPO's Board of Directors recently met in Barcelona (3-5 Oct 2022) for its Interim Board meeting and Workshop and Greg was able to give us first-hand feedback on key points of this important meeting. ...
Governance Forum - applications open
NZISM is establishing an online forum for members who are interested in developing their Governance careers. This forum will be by invitation only and limited to people who are currently engaged in Governance roles or who are independently undertaking Governance training with the aim of holding a Governance role in the future. ...
