The warning comes after four workplace deaths occurred across New Zealand in just three days
Employers have been urged to remain vigilant around health and safety after four workers died across New Zealand in just three days.
“Any workplace death is a tragedy that shouldn’t happen, and four deaths occurring over the past three days is particularly concerning,” Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway said on Friday.
“Four families will now spend Christmas grieving for a father, husband, brother or son, and mates will mourn a friend,” he continued. “I have deep sympathy for these families, and I am determined that fewer Kiwi families will have to experience such a terrible loss next year and in the future.”
Each of the four fatalities involved interactions with machinery or vehicles and Galloway said every business must have clear strategies for understanding and managing risks in that area.
“What concerns me is that this seems not to be happening well enough in New Zealand,” said Galloway, noting that there were 24 workplace deaths involving vehicles and machinery in 2016 and 12 the year before.
“We can and must do better,” he said, adding that December is a particularly risky time for organisations and employees.
“It’s the end of a long year, there’s fatigue combined with pressure to finish jobs before the holiday break, and there are a lot of distractions on the minds of many workers.”
His message to employers and managers was this:
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“Any workplace death is a tragedy that shouldn’t happen, and four deaths occurring over the past three days is particularly concerning,” Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Iain Lees-Galloway said on Friday.
“Four families will now spend Christmas grieving for a father, husband, brother or son, and mates will mourn a friend,” he continued. “I have deep sympathy for these families, and I am determined that fewer Kiwi families will have to experience such a terrible loss next year and in the future.”
Each of the four fatalities involved interactions with machinery or vehicles and Galloway said every business must have clear strategies for understanding and managing risks in that area.
“What concerns me is that this seems not to be happening well enough in New Zealand,” said Galloway, noting that there were 24 workplace deaths involving vehicles and machinery in 2016 and 12 the year before.
“We can and must do better,” he said, adding that December is a particularly risky time for organisations and employees.
“It’s the end of a long year, there’s fatigue combined with pressure to finish jobs before the holiday break, and there are a lot of distractions on the minds of many workers.”
His message to employers and managers was this:
- Stand your employees down at the beginning of the day and reinforce risk awareness
- Reinforce that if workers are worried about risky situations, they should call it out and stop the work
- Talk to your people – they’re at the frontline and they can see danger before you can
Related stories:
New H&S regulations come into force today
Government launches H&S toolkit