IN THIS ISSUE

1) ACC WorkSafe Cycle Series: Step 1 - Plan
2) Health & Safety Signage - Highlighting Your Hazards Appropriately
3) ACC legislation name change
4) Our People
5) Recent Department of Labour Prosecutions
6) Latest Department of Labour Hazard Alerts / Hazard Management Bulletins
7) That’s Got to Hurt!

1) ACC WorkSafe Cycle Series: Step 1 - Plan

Roadmap to Reducing Injury & Illness in the workplace

ACC WorkSafe Cycle Series – Article 1/5

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) created the ACC WorkSafe Cycle to promote and assist businesses to implement and to provide a continuous process of improvement concerning Health & Safety in your workplace. The ACC WorkSafe Cycle can be set up and support Health & Safety systems needed to keep workplaces safe.

The three steps to keep you working in a process of continuous improvement are review, plan & action. The action step includes all the key activities of a comprehensive Health & Safety programme. At each step and in each key activity listed under action commitment and communication are essential.

To implement the cycle in your workplace it is ideal to start at step 2: Plan.

This step involves setting goals and objectives and detailing what steps you need to take to make your improvement strategies happen. When planning, you need to:

• Identify goals. These tend to be activities or controls designed to eliminate, isolate or minimise hazards and factors that are causing injury / illness;
• Establish the resources that are required (time, money, people, skills, knowledge);
• Identify objectives. It is necessary that they are SMART (specific, measureable, achievable, realistic and have a time-line);
• Prioritise actions;
• Identify measures & targets;
• Create an action plan that details the specific steps needed to meet objectives.

This article is a part of a series of articles explaining the steps and activities involved in the ACC WorkSafe Cycle. Next month we will be covering step 3: Action.

For more information on ACC WorkSafe Cycle - Step 2: Plan, please visit:

http://www.acc.co.nz/preventing-injuries/at-work/health-and-safety-in-the-workplace/acc-worksafe-cycle/PI00068

2) Health & Safety Signage - Highlighting Your Hazards Appropriately

It is imperative that companies have adequate warning of Hazardous Substances Signage. It may save lives.

It is a statutory requirement of the Health & Safety in Employment Act 1992 that employers take every practicable step to provide a safe working environment for themselves, their employees, contractors and visitors to the site. Using appropriate visual safety products to identify hazards and communicate important information is an essential part of workplace safety.

To help you meet these statutory requirements Securo’s Safety Consultants can carry out a site survey of your workplace to identify where safety signs and safety products are mandatory or recommended.

Securo are able to fulfil all your visual safety product requirements through supply of safety signs, first aid kits & fire extinguishers. Signage is available in all standard formats, or custom signs can be made to suit your exact requirements

Discuss with your local Securo Safety Consultant during their next visit.

3) ACC legislation name change

At the end of February 2010, Parliament changed the name of ACC’s legislation from Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2001 to Accident Compensation Act 2001.

For more details please see ACC’s website and a version of the legislation:

http://www.acc.co.nz/news/PRD_CTRB136200

http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2001/0049/latest/DLM99494.html

4) Our People

It is with regret that we must advise that Bruce Duske, our Bay of Plenty Health & Safety Consultant will be retiring from Securo Ltd at the end of this month. Bruce has been a consultant with Securo since November 2001 and has built an excellent reputation not only with Securo and our clients, but also with the Health & Safety market in the Bay of Plenty. We are sorry to lose Bruce, but wish him well for the future.

In his place, we have been fortunate to obtain the services of Mark Taylor who has had 25 years experience working in manufacturing, sales and construction and specifically, in the Health & Safety field for the past eleven years. We are very pleased to have gained Mark’s services, and I am sure you will benefit from his knowledge and experience when he meets with you. Mark will be commencing his services on the 6^th April 2010.

A letter has been sent to Bruce’s clients explaining his departure, and introducing Mark. If clients need assistance during the transition period, please contact us at 0800 55 33 44 or email us at; secteam@securo.co.nz.

5) Recent Department of Labour Prosecutions

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

7) That’s Got to Hurt!

Each issue we feature a safety related photo. Just for fun we'd like to receive your ideas for an appropriate caption. We will publish the best caption received in the next issue. Good luck!

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: