IN THIS ISSUE

1) Serious Harm Reporting
2) Working at Heights
3) ACC Workplace Safety Discount Scheme Working for Securo Clients
4) Recent Department of Labour Prosecutions
5) Latest DoL Hazard Alerts / Hazard Management Bulletins
6) Our People
7) “That’s Got To Hurt”

We would like to apologise for the temporary delay with our newsletters this year. We are now pleased to advise however, that we have recommenced sending our newsletters, and this is the first. This coincides with the re-launch of our website - www.securo.co.nz  which not only includes informative information about us, our products, and media releases but also the launch of our new Online Health & Safety Management System. This new interactive Online System is easy to operate and ensures your Health & Safety information and data is accessible and creates necessary reports instantly and effectively.
For further information please contact us and we will discuss a plan that is best suited for your company. 

1) SERIOUS HARM REPORTING
Recently it has come to light that not all serious harm accidents in the workplace are being reported. In the event of a serious harm accident in the workplace, the Department of Labour must be notified over the phone as soon as possible and given written notice on an official form within 7 days of the accident.
Below is the definition of Serious Harm from Schedule 1 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992;
Serious harm means death, or harm of a kind or description declared by the Governor-General by Order in Council to be serious for the purposes of the Act; and "seriously harmed" has a corresponding meaning.
Until such an Order in Council is made, the following types of harm are defined in Schedule 1 as "serious harm" for the purposes of the Act:

1. Any of the following conditions that amounts to or results in permanent loss of bodily function, or temporary severe loss of bodily function: respiratory disease, noise-induced hearing loss, neurological disease, cancer, dermatological disease, communicable disease, musculoskeletal disease, illness caused by exposure to infected material, decompression sickness, poisoning, vision impairment, chemical or hot-metal burn of eye, penetrating wound of eye, bone fracture, laceration, crushing.
2. Amputation of body part.
3. Burns requiring referral to a specialist registered medical practitioner or specialist outpatient clinic.
4. Loss of consciousness from lack of oxygen.
5. Loss of consciousness, or acute illness requiring treatment by a registered medical practitioner, from absorption, inhalation or ingestion of any substance.
6. Any harm that causes the person harmed to be hospitalised for a period of 48 hours or more commencing within 7 days of the harm's occurrence.

If you are unsure whether or not an accident is serious, contact your Securo Safety Consultant or us here at Securo head office.

2) Working at Heights
From time to time most workplaces will require work to be done at height. As the risk of an accident occurring is high and the accident would likely result in a Serious Harm we advise employers to ensure their processes and plans are in place to Eliminate, Minimise and / or Isolate the risk of having an accident.

A Christchurch Contractor was awarded over $48,000 for a fall in which he broke both his legs. In 2005 the man fell from a pitched roof onto a flat roof and then onto the ground, falling a total distance of 5.54 metres.
The man suffered extensive injuries including breaking both legs. A fall from any height even just a metre can result in serious injuries and even death.
The building company, the scaffolding company and the gas company the man was working for at the time, were found to be at fault for not taking all practicable steps to ensure the man was safe.

Securo Safety Tips for Working at Height

• When working on a roof, use only certified fall arrest equipment where appropriate and ensure all employees using such equipment are properly trained
• Make sure employees working at height are wearing appropriate footwear for the job
• Make sure non-temporary or temporary guard railing is erected around elevated work areas and is at least 900mm high and designed to withstand the force of a fall against it
• Do not overreach sideways from a ladder
• Never use a ladder that is too short for the job/ ensure appropriate selection of equipment
• Always secure a ladder with a head rope
• Remove all damaged or defective ladders from service immediately
• Use proper planks for scaffolding
• Put warning signs for people on the ground advising people are working above and restrict access where necessary.

The Department of Labour (DoL) has educational and informative articles about Working from Heights:

• How to Avoid Falls from Heights
• Safe Work At Heights
• Guidelines for the Prevention of Falls
• Working At Heights Position Paper
• Scaffolding

3) ACC Workplace Safety Discount Scheme Working for Securo Clients
More than ever it is crucial for small businesses to cut costs. In 2006 ACC launched its Workplace Safety Discount (WSD) scheme and many Securo customers have benefited where it counts, in the back pocket! Our nationwide Safety Consultants have helped small businesses all over New Zealand to achieve the 10% discount to their ACC Levies by successfully passing a WSD audit.
It has been great to see our Safety Consultants embrace the WSD scheme and to see the financial benefit to our clients but we here at Securo would like to see as many of our clients as possible apply for it!
To qualify for a WSD your business must have either 10 or less full time employees or an annual payroll of $450,000 or less. Your business must also fall into one of the selected industry sectors and fall within the classified unit numbers currently available from ACC.

There are currently 6 different categories eligible WSD;

• Agriculture
• Construction
• Fishing
• Forestry
• Motor Trades
• Road Transport & Waste Management

The 10% discount on your ACC levies lasts for 3 years. If you believe your company qualifies for the scheme your Safety Consultant can visit you to confirm this and check you have the necessary health and safety practices in place. If you are not ready they will assist you to reach the standard where you complete the WSD self-assessment booklet. For more information contact either your Safety Consultant or us here at head office, or you can check out the ACC website. 

 4) Recent Department of Labour Prosecutions

5) Latest Department of Labour Hazard Alerts / Hazard Management Bulletins
- (previously known as Incident / Accident Alerts)
For more details see DoL website: http://www.osh.govt.nz/order/catalogue/522.shtml

6) Our People

On our new website under ‘About Us’, you can view ‘Our People’. This page gives details about our consultants. Below is a list of our consultants and the area in which they operate. For further information about us please have a look online:

We have two Business Development Managers who can assist you with the development of a Health & Safety Plan that suits your business:

Our Head Office team can also assist you with any queries you may have, our team consists of:

Please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss any queries.

7) That’s Got to Hurt!

Please send your captions to secteam@securo.co.nz Re: That’s Got to Hurt, or fax them to 09 307 3360   

This month’s Photo: