Golden Bay workplace visits impress

16 October 2006

Most Golden Bay workplaces have good awareness of their responsibilities as employers, the results of visits by the Department of Labour show.

A team of health and safety and labour inspectors spent two days in the area last week, helping businesses and workplaces understand and manage their duties.

Acting health and safety service manager for Nelson-Marlborough Annette Baxter said 21 businesses were visited, and inspectors came away feeling that awareness of health and safety and employee entitlements was high.

“We found Golden Bay businesses to be very receptive and happy to accept our advice to improve their systems.”

Businesses where workplace accidents are most likely to occur were the first to receive a visit. These included local construction and related trades, such as plumbers and electricians, as well as agriculture and viticulture.

The construction inspector found that although most of the workplaces had not been visited by the Department before, they had very tidy workplaces and had some health and safety systems in place, Ms Baxter said.

“This is a reflection on the principal/contractor relationship working well in that the principal has ensured that contractors have systems in place.” A negative was the lack of tagging of electrical leads in many of the workplaces visited.

The agriculture inspector was also impressed, she said. “It was good to see that many farms had approved handlers as required by the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act.”

The Department will maintain a presence in Golden Bay through monthly visits, starting in November. To arrange a workplace visit, phone 03 989 6775.

To the journalist: please note that health and safety services formerly referred to as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) should now be referred to as the Department of Labour.