Thanks Matt- We aren't currently but maybe we should be. I have used some of their publicized documents to build our indicators dashboard so would make sense to join and have access.

Hi Jim,
That sounds really beneficial- would this be relevant to heavy vehicles?
I have managed to fill the speaker place for the day in September however I would definitely be interested in hearing more about what you offer for future initiatives.
I hope it is the first of many.
I will send through my email to you if you wouldn't mind sending through some more info that would be great.

Hey Matt,

Yes correct, it can be a bit painful however this person is on an hourly rate which makes it a lot easier. So he already records his work hours its just a matter of transferring them to the logbook. I am not sure about the exemption either, we have quite a few drivers that could probably fit into that category but for the sake of simplicity we just keep it the same across all driving teams.
We also find it helpful when drivers move into linehaul if they are already used to doing this.

Some people fill out a sheet per day or some people write something like this at the top of the first day of driving page:
" 12/08/22 - 14/08/22 Office Work 16 hours

Hi Eeva,

For the exact reason you mention above we require all of our metro Christchurch drivers to fill out log books always, even if some weeks they do not meet the criteria just so we always have what we need and no one has to remember to work this out.

If you do want them to only fill it out sometimes you must keep a record of their whole working week when this happens. i.e. Even if they are only going outside the 50kmh once in their working week that whole week needs to be recorded in order to prove they have not exceeded the hours within this week- even if the work is not all driving or driving outside 50kmh it still counts.

The NZTA say if you are required to fill out a logbook (which this person is required to do on occasion)- you must produce your logbook to an enforcement officer to inspect, if requested, starting from the last 24-hour rest time up to the present time.

We struck the same problem with an office worker who sometimes drives a truck when we are short staffed. On these weeks he must record all time worked- in the office, and driving for the whole work week as all of this time counts towards their hours.

Hopefully this provides some clarity

I still find a reasonable amount of my time is taken up by COVID. My role is as H&S Coordinator for a transport & distribution company. My responsibilities when it comes to COVID-19 are to remain up to date with the latest government advice in order to advise our management team & staff. To give advice on the measures we should be taking, based on the outbreak, such as work from home efforts etc.. This is very difficult in itself as the advice from the government seems to be constantly changing. I also deal with the testing of staff onsite, communications with staff who have tested positive or are unwell & making sure they are supported, helping them report their results if required. I also need to remain up to date with our customers and contractors requirements such as drivers testing prior to deliveries, PPE rules, vaccination requirements and so forth.

I also think that it depends what you are doing with the chemicals.
For example Worksafe advised us that we did not need to keep the SDS once we stop storing the chemical but that is because we do not use or open the chemicals onsite. We are a solely a storage and transport facility for closed containers. However, if your staff are using the chemicals and therefore are exposed to them on a regular basis this might be different and might be relevant information as part of health monitoring.

This is an interesting topic and one that I get questions about from some colleagues. (In relation to truck and trailer units)- Ultimately load security is the drivers responsibility however we are finding that more and more companies require our drivers to stay inside their cabs or in a 'box' while the truck is loaded by the client. Sometimes our drivers have very minimal involvement. I would love to hear what others think about this as its tricky. The clients are only trying to protect themselves/manage their risk as low as possible on their site but this can have consequences down the line once we try to unload the truck on our own site.

I also agree, finding the balance can be difficult. In the end though no matter how many procedures you write, systems you set up and rules you enforce without the engagement and cooperation of your team it will not be successful. So, I find that no matter how long the 'to do' list gets I always make time to speak to staff before implementing anything new, I often they have great ideas to contribute and are more receptive with the end product if we do this. Great points made so far about shared responsibility, I agree that a lot of the H&S role (in my case) is about helping and supporting others to fulfill their H&S duties, it is everyone's job to 'do' H&S.

Hi Sarah,
I am fairly certain that under the Health and Safety at Work regulations as an employer you must provide your workers with PPE if it is required. They can choose to supply their own if it meets the standards however the business can't legally pass the cost of this on to their employees.
These links should help:
https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/personal-protective-equipment-ppe/personal-protective-equipment-a-guide-for-workers/
https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2016/0013/latest/DLM6727318.html

We do the same as Andrew- they are given a catalogue of options to choose from provided by us with a pretty generous budget.