Why are we still killing our workers at the same rate we have for the last 30 years, — Steve H
We had one following Pike River, out with the old and we'll setup this new model.Its a bit early to say "we are killing our workers". No doubt in the fullness of time there will be an enquiry and causes of death will be determined. — Andrew
Perhaps we are in "the last mile"
You know. where you put reasonable resources into something and you get 90% there. But to extract that last 10% is extremely difficult and the return on investment may not be there. — Andrew
So, your theory is, let's just accept that every year 50-60 people are going to trundle off to work,and not come home, they are just collateral damage, the cost of doing business and most likely they brought it on themselves- as you say no one can fix stupid
Anyone else think the same, or do you think there are some stones left unturned? — Steve H
It is the culture of the workers that has to change. — Andrew P
Possibly, because at the end of the day we have over-engineered solutions so individuals no longer think. Or they lack motivation to be responsible for their own actions. They are perhaps lazy and just sit back and rely on all the safety devices around them.
Or really. It might be because we cant fix stupid. (without bankrupting ourselves in the process) — Andrew
So why can't we replicate this success in the workplace? — Steve H
the concept of killing workers cannot be a discussion because the outcome of the investigation may highlight some other reasoning for the fatality. — Don Ramsay
what is it going to take to see the trends heading downward. — Steve H
With some trepidation I venture to suggest that reducing the road toll is a much narrower and therefore less complex challenge than reducing the work toll. — Peter Bateman
Would be interesting to break those down into those caused by Driver Fatigue, Mechanical Failure, Substance Abuse, Driver Distraction via cell phone- those we could do something about, and there is of course the "stupid" factor that we can only limit by through pre employment vetting. That will be tough in the current era of plenty of work vs a lack of workers to do that work.Given that 33 of the 52 workplace deaths were 'vehicle accidents' there is a sizeable overlap.
It's also interesting to think about the fact that this is where a moments inattention, or other human failings can have drastic consequences. While we can endeavor to train, and make people aware of these, it does little to stop basic mistakes. — Aaron Marshall
and there is of course the "stupid" factor that we can only limit by through pre employment vetting. — Steve H
Tweak two. Two different things. ACC = compo for loss of earnings. Prosecution = bringing people to account. There is already a mechanism for that. But it is expensive to run a prosecution. More money spent by worksafe on prosecutions = less money for inspectors on the ground. — Andrew
I wouldn't disagree, but stats show WS's prosecutions slowly waning of managers/owners/directors, and the level of fine that could be leveled at a worker will be in the thousands, rather than the sort of level that makes a board of Directors take a more proactive approach to H&S.,Here is something that is relatively untried - more prosecution / fines of workers. — Andrew
ACC is very generous. If you die reasonable funeral costs are covered and if you have dependants they get cash for quite some time.If you don't die you get 80% of your lost earnings plus a truck load thrown at you to get you rehabilitated. — Andrew
I think individuals should be able to choose whether they want to take the bike or scooter or even walk. I wouldn't be focusing on whether work is liable if someone gets hurt while biking / walking to and from places for work. You get covered by ACC anyway. — Yonny Yeung
Why aren't we including risk management principles and critical thinking in the education system from the earliest days if we are serious about reducing the number of workplace fatalities and injuries?? — Sheri Greenwell
If you are interested in workplace health & safety in New Zealand, then this is the discussion forum for you.