Comments

  • Journey Management Plan or JSEA
    If you were conducting a multi-day trip with (potential) long driving days, then it might be a good idea to go over expected trip times, and alternates if there are major delays, but there comes a point where you need to let people self-manage.
  • Journey Management Plan or JSEA
    What's the trigger for requiring this?
    My immediate reaction is that its a bit over-the-top. Simply have a policy of how long it is acceptable for someone to be driving for, and ensuring that staff are able to have an unscheduled overnight if they feel they need to due to fatigue should be sufficient.
  • Expiry Dates on Training
    If you're able to regularly assess competence, then why do you need to do re-training?
    Also, just because someone has attended a course of instruction, doesn't mean that they're competent, it just means that they sat in a classroom for the required time and passed any test that was part of it (which is usually ridiculously simple).

    No commercial pilot ever has arbitrary re-training on how to fly an aircraft, but there are regular competency assessments.
  • Kiwifruit industry H&S inductions
    Lots of fraud committed there... by both parties.
    Duties work both ways, and the reporter did the work without a H&S induction he knew he needed.
    IMO, they're both open for investigation?
  • Fatigue Managment
    Here's the CAA's example: https://www.caa.govt.nz/assets/legacy/Advisory_Circulars/AC119_2.pdf
    Single pilot, VFR operations are the closest to driving.
    Ag industry would be an interesting one to work on, as you have you may be physically fatigued but not mentally, or vice-versa.
  • Seeking feedback on safety differently guideline for SME's

    I'd love to grab a copy. Many of my clients are doing a certain amount of this work anyway, and it would be good to get some more info.
  • Paracetamol in First Aid Kits

    1. It's a FIRST aid kit. The levels of pain that Panadol is taken for is not 'First' Aid.
    2. Having Panadol in the kits make them a source, so the first aid kits tend to be opened and contents disturbed. I'm talking more about vehicle kits here, not the ones in offices, etc. This opening/disturbing hte contents means that there is more chance of sterile, sealed packages being damaged. I've seen it a couple of times.

    Every place that I've worked has had them accessible for staff, but they were never in a first aid kit, or given out: you had to go and get your own.
  • First Aid Kit Expiry Dates
    It really depends on what is in the first aid kit, and what drives the 'expiry' date.
    Within the Aviation industry, they've got an annual inspection, with replacement of any items that are due to expire within that timeframe.
    This seems like a pretty logical method - it doesn't take any special training to open it up, check expiry dates on items, and that everything is in there, and then close it back up again.
  • A strange request

    I had a H&S consultant challenge me on having a 'quality and safety' manual. He couldn't understand that there is a lot of overlap between the two systems.
  • Lime scooters

    I'm struggling to work out how Lime can influence how their contractor carries out the work.

    My customers cannot effectively control what I do at my own work premises - they're not responsible for OOS injuries that I encounter.
  • Unsafe acts shown on TV
    I'm surprised that the companies featured in these reality shows are so keen, when they show these unsafe acts.
    Displaying evidence of a company's unsafe culture is great fuel for a Worksafe prosecution in the event of an accident.
  • Definition of "high potential"?
    That's ta fundamental misunderstanding of the risk matrix. risks do not exist as a point on a 5 X 5 consequence/likelihood grid. At best they can be thought of as a line - high likelihood of a low consequence/low likelihood of a high consequence. Judgement needs to be used to select what a reasonable score is, and there should be some discussion with major risks. In the example you cited, it would require a series of events for a trip to result in death, but only one to result in minor injury. So stating that it is a 'catastrophic' risk is unreasonable.
    Knowing which of these two factors is driving the risk value(s) is key to selecting an appropriate action.
  • Emotions vs. objectivity in accident statistics
    I wholeheartedly agree with you Simon. It is in a sense the same as the myth-busting post Peter B started. We make up stuff to support our point-of-view … and call it ‘safety’Paul Reyneke

    "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics" comes to mind there.

    This outright lying (and that is what it is), along with unrealistic goals makes a mockery of Land Transport's methodology.

    If you're going to use statistics, then they need to be unemotional, and undebateable.
  • Long read: Andrew Hopkins on "safety culture"
    I'm going to dissent here...
    'Safety Culture' is simply part of the wider company culture. The problem comes when, like other safety aspects, you try to silo it out. Whatever words you use to describe it (or not) doesn't change the fact that all companies have an inherent attitude and approach to safety.
    Attitude is in my opinion one of hte most important aspects to safety - if your staff and management have a poor attitude towards safety, then you'll never achieve a safe workplace.
  • GPS in company vehicles
    Like most things, its a process, and its about building trust first.Tony Watson

    And that's the key.
    I find these debates interesting, coming from the aviation industry, where voice recording/location monitoring is expected, and even wanted by staff, even when not legally required. I just cannot understand the resistance to things like video monitoring in trains, etc.
  • Notifiable Incidents
    CAA have the following definition for 'serious incident' (which is one that needs reporting to CAA): Serious incident means an incident involving circumstances indicating that an accident nearly occurred.

    So, anything that almost resulted in an accident is notifiable to CAA. In practice, it means that if any circumstance had been different, it could have resulted in an accident.
  • GPS in company vehicles
    Doesn't the company have some level of responsibility for the vehicle usage, even if it is being used in a private capacity? In this case, I think that the privacy concerns are reasonably taken care of through a well-written policy (as long as it is practiced).
    It is reasonable to have it in a work vehicle, but IMO it isn't reasonable to expect it to be turned off outside of work hours.
  • Dodging LTIs
    Perverse goals driving perverse behaviour.
    ACC and Worksafe drive these behaviours, and as noted even facilitate them.
  • The Athenberry decision and "contracting out"
    my feeling is that Athenberry appears to have provided an environment in which a competent quad/LUV operator could complete their tasks.Darren Cottingham

    That is my feeling too. How much is a person liable for someone who they don't know is on their property, who is operating contrary to their own company policy and training, and best practice guidelines?
  • "Safety Culture" - does it mean anything?
    Safety is just one aspect of a company culture, not an entity in and of itself. That said, I'd reply to you comments:
    1. Intangible? Yes, so what? So is goodwill, and that makes up a significant part of some companies' balance sheet. While you cannot manufacture it, you can certainly drive towards it to 'make it happen'
    2. While discussions around it lack consensus, just about every one of us will recognise a good culture when we see it. It is the wording that lacks consensus, not the concept.
    3. So you'd argue that healthy and open reporting, discussions, a just reporting system aren't necessary to improve safety.
    4. I agree with this comment, and I think that it comes from people expecting a 'quick-fix', which just isn't achievable. It takes time, and sometimes you need to have obstructive people to move on out of the company so you can improve the culture. Look at how society's tolerance to smoking or drink driving (as a whole) has changed over the last 15-20 years - that's how long it takes to change the culture of a country - it requires generational thinking, not an annual focus.