28.05.2020 - Construction firm charged after builder fell from Man Cage attached to Tractor.
Click here to read the full article
16.12.2019 - Poultry Farm fined after death of worker - fines of nearly half a million $$$ again highlights the need to have procedures in place to seperate pedestrians and forklifts.
Click here to read the full article
16.08.2019 If its not safe - fix it - This article highlight the need to have procedures in place around repair of machinery and implementation of new machinery into operation.
Companies which identify safety issues with their machinery have a duty to remedy the problems and ensure any new operational processes are consistently applied, says WorkSafe.
Click here to read the full article
14.08.2019
Faulty machinery leads to worker’s death
WorkSafe is urging all employers to make sure machinery their workers are using is made safe and cannot injure a worker.
Click here to read the full article
07.08.2019
Company fined after workplace incident leaves worker permanently paralysed
This article highlights the need to use a safety harness when using any elevated work platform - read this article and also the Best Practice Guidelines for Mobile Elevated Platforms
Click here to read the full article
Click here to read the Best Practice Guide
The above guide covers all Elevated Work Platforms - I have made up a PDF that only relates to the forklift man cage - click here to see this
16.05.2019 - Highlights the need to have policies and procedures and to enforce them.
A South Island construction company has been ordered to pay fines, reparation and costs of more than $500,000 after a worker was crushed and killed when the truck he was driving rolled down a bank.
WorkSafe Chief Inspector Investigator, said the company had policies in place but failed to ensure they were enforced and monitored.
Click here to read the full article
16.04.2019 - Highlights the need to have manuals and read them prior to commencement of jobs in preparation.
Avoiding injury and fines can be as easy as reading instruction manuals thoroughly. Fire and Mech Contracting Limited asked a worker assisting with removal of the x-ray to help cut a wire rope to clear away the machine.
A spring loaded system struck the worker’s forearm, causing a serious injury including a broken radius and ulna. Fire and Mech was fined $247,500 and the Southern District Health Board was fined $225,000.
Click here to read the full article
26.02.2019 Highlights the need to have practices in place around vehicle servicing and the records required.
Gore farm machinery company’s lack of effective repairs to a tractor has resulted in a substantial fine and reparations to an injured farm worker.
“Vehicle service industries must ensure diligent workmanship, systems and practices in the work that they do to prevent injuries to users,” says WorkSafe Head of Specialist Interventions, Simon Humphries.
Click here to read the full article
12.01.2019 - Bins fall from forklift, injuring employee who is now a paraplegic. This machine had a short backrest and therefore should of had the load rating amended and a SOP.
Click here to read the full article
The HSWA has recently been updated and offers a range of tools and resources that are very helpful to keep yourself, your staff and visitors onsite safe on and around forklifts.
Check out the Worksafe site for information about forklifts
Systematic attention to machinery management is urged
News from Worksafe - Port Lyttleton was fined for machinery maintenance failures, read this article to find out how to prevent this from happening to you.
Click here to go to the Worksafe article
Pedestrians and Forklifts
This case highlights the need to have procedures to separate pedestrians and forklifts. Safety flashing lights and reverse alarms are essential where pedestrians and forklifts mix - we have these in stock for sale, get in contact with us and order yours.
You must have a clear plan and communication to keep pedestrian traffic clear from operating machinery.
Click here for the Worksafe link
Click here for some tips on Pedestrian Safety from Australia
Using forklifts indoors - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Do you use your forklift indoors? - Have a read of this fact sheet.
Click here to go to the Worksafe website and read about Forklifts and Carbon Monoxide
Click here to read/download a PDF of the factsheet
The LTSA website spells out the definition of a road to help you decide if your forklift should be registered and have a WOF. After reading this we believe if you are using your forklift to drive on the road, in a car park or if it is used in your yard but the public have access to e.g. timber yards, hire centres, transport yards etc you should have it done. If you have a restricted access gate house or similar that the public can not access then you may not, however your forklift should still be up to the safe working standard set by the WOF.
A member of our staff was pulled over by the police a couple of months ago while driving a forklift on the road, they not only checked that the forklift had a current Registration and WOF, but also asked to see the drivers licence to check if they had the required "F" endorsement.
To get your forklift driver's licence click on the link below
Click here to enquire about getting your "F" endorsement of your licence and OSH forklift Safety courses with Heavy Industrial Training
Safeguard Magazine
Safeguard is New Zealand's leading publication on workplace Health and Safety. They provide information, innovation and inspiration to keep people healthy and safe at work. It is essential reading for anyone responsible for health and safety. Regular content includes profiles of organisations and people with progressive OSH ideas, technical features, commentary on law changes, and summaries of all prosecutions.
Standard Operating Procedures - a well written standard operating procedure sets out how a job is to be done to achieve objectives such as safety, quality time, budget or other deliverables.
Driving is the top risk for many NZ organisations. Statistics indicate that up to 30% of workplace accidents and 13% of fatalities are vehicle related. Unfortunately road crashes are not identified as work related so the problem is not accurately measured or addressed by most employers.
Click here for fleet safety information
Site Traffic Management - in the May/June Issue of Safeguard is a couple of interesting articles about forklifts and traffic management. The first article - Pedestrian vs Vehicles gives some serious statistics on accidents and incidents and a sobering list of fatalities over the years - of which forklifts feature. This article talks of elimination, isolation and engineering controls and also highlights temporary sites - very interesting.
Following on from this is another article on designing a traffic management plan - and a most helpful reference to the Workplace Traffic Management plan that has been published by Worksafe - click here to go through to the link. This also has a PDF to print.
Traffic Management : Possible Controls
Eliminate - not always practical
Substitute - use an alternative route
Isolate - Permanent or temporary barriers
Engineering Controls - Signage, Flashing lights and beepers, wheel chocks, forklift proximity warning devices.
Administrative Controls - Signage, Road marking, no entry area's, designated parking & unloading area's, visitor induction & sign in, passengers/pets to remain in vehicles, pedestrian walkways/exclusion zones, speed restrictions.
Personal Protective Equipment - Hi Vis Clothing, (and other PPSE, including boots, safety glasses, hard hat etc).
Lastly - this magazine follows up on the Workplace Death Toll - 36 so far this year :-(
Man Cages
If you are using a man cage with your forklift - please ensure that it is certified and that you follow the guidelines for working at height.
A labour hire worker standing in a freight cage elevated to a height of 3m by a forklift was seriously injured when the freight cage slid off the forklifts forks. He had not tried to secure a freight cage to a forklift at this site before, and had not been shown the site's safety documentation on the use of forklifts and freight cages. To read the article click here
Check out Worksafe's website for their guidelines by clicking here. Or check out our NFL guidelines as a PDF here