Long gone are the days of just handing over the keys to a company vehicle. I introduced the AA Driver assessment for all drivers of company vehicles. It is all well and good to jump to advanced driver courses which are generally a day in cost and time lost if the basics are not being considered and followed when on the road. The AA driver assessment is a one hour road test divided into drive with an assessor, discuss and review, then drive again and apply the learning. A report is then submitted to the company which covers the review items and if the driver would pass the current NZ driving test, incidentally, you can't actually "fail".
As for towing a trailer - I spent a small fortune getting my class 1 HGV in the UK, surprisingly it's not about driving as you can already do that - it's about controlling a 44 tonne vehicle and 40' trailer safely and having the ability to reverse it. However, your average driver can hitch up his boat, car or work trailer and go on the road with no training. Wrong I think. Some instruction, not a pass or fail, but to obtain a credit about driving with a trailer and trailer control.
Just my opinion...................

We considered advanced driver training but what is the point of investing in drivers who don't follow the basics. Instead we opted for driver assessment, which is like the driving test but without pass or fail. it's also cheaper and only takes about an hour. No classroom involved. The "tester" gives feedback and provides a report on the drivers ability, followed with a discussion with a line manager.
It provided good feedback, we had one real failure when one of the team didn't pass and gave the I've been driving for 40 years", we replied 40 years is great but tomorrow is where our concerns rest. He resigned in the end.
We also offered a prize draw with some driver related gifts and a top prize of an advanced drivers course. Pleased with the outcomes.

Nothing makes you smile more than knowing Thursday is the last day of your week. Semi retired but not a dead horse!

Hi Bex,
Attached might be useful

We have sufficient total numbers of staff to warrant HSR's but they are distributed across much smaller branch offices making the costs unrealistic. To overcome this all our staff are required to attend a documented team meeting once a month where H&S is an agenda item. The expectation is that staff will attend a minimum 10 out of the possible 12 meetings. Everyone has their say and can take on board any changes or instructions.

I suspect that the outcome from these charges will be as clear as mud, and we won't learn as much as some might think. For instance charging GeoNet. They are an advisory service, they can't stop visitors so where is the justification? And if the charges are valid then where are the charges for the island owner for not preventing access when the volcano was at a higher alert level? My feeling is that at the end of the process's we should have a clearer idea of what needs adjusting to make the HSAWA practical for such complex tragedies.

Hi Andrew, I hadn't seen this particular video and fair comment but not all are wearing RPE and those t-shirts don't appear to offer much in the way of protection.
This will be a discussion that rattles on for a very long time, lets hope that the recovery is much sooner.

I agree with Rachael, if its there and there is an element of danger then I'm in the queue. But Whaakari is a living, unpredictable danger and controlling the awesome power of mother nature is not possible. And, as safety professionals, we all know that the last line of defense is PPE.
If you jump from the Skytower you have to wear overalls, swim with sharks a shark proof cage, climb mountains have ropes,carabiners and a hard hat, etc. etc. but these visitors walked to the edge of an active volcano in t-shirts, shorts and jandels - not a hint of personal protective equipment.
Fire proof overalls, stout walking boots, hard hat and face shields may well have reduced the injuries and possibly saved some lives.
In my opinion stopping the tours is not an option (although it may be one the government attempts to enforce upon us) but the control of the risks by the official/licensed tour companies should be by "appropriate and used PPE" and not just a signature on an insurance waiver.
The loss of life this week is sad and tragic, and I offer my condolences to those affected, wishing a speedy and full recovery to the injured.
Finally, lets get the recovery done. Somebody make a meaningful decision rather than a committee that continually hedges its bets. Please.

Appreciate the advice.

Having just had shoulder reconstruction following a (sober) tumble at home I have to say that ACC were right on the ball and their assistance was much appreciated. My bitch and moan is with the IRD! The 80% payment by ACC is seen by the IRD as a second stream of income and therefore you have to pay a higher tax rate, hence a recent bill for almost $3k. Firstly why? It's not a second income, it's compensation for the loss of earnings following an injury. Secondly, how come the bill is directed to you after the return to work? Surely the ACC and the IRD communicate, don't they? I would have preferred to pay the tax out of my ACC payments at the time rather than having been hit by a lump sum "you owe" demand.

Zero harm is a target, something to aspire to. And to be honest the chances of it ever becoming a reality are remote at best. Why? Because human nature will spoil the party every time. Work generally involves activities which mean the use of body parts (mainly hands) to achieve a result. Nicks, cuts and such minor injuries are par for the course and should serve as a reminder to think before you act. But were we to actually get anywhere near zero harm then paper cuts might be the next big zero harm target meaning the desk drivers in this world would be wearing cut proof gloves. Would that be practicably possible?
The definition of an accident is an unplanned event which has the potential to cause injury. Hence my job is to plan for others not to have an unplanned event - as I say, human nature will spoil your party every time.
Besides reinventing common sense it's about time reality was was given a check over too!

Conducting a toolbox talk I asked the assembled crew if any of them knew more than me about health & safety. One, foolishly, put his hand up. "Good, then you can conduct the toolbox", and I sat down. Lesson learned - put the phone down and pay attention in a toolbox talk.