Waratah and PF Olsen win safety awards

INNOVATION IN SAFETY HAS RESULTED IN TOP AWARDS FOR TWO New Zealand forestry organisations

At the recent Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards, Waratah New Zealand took out the ‘3M Best use of innovative New Zealand design or technology to eliminate or manage a risk award’, while PF Olsen won the Best Collaboration Between PCBU’s category, for ‘initiating a project involving multiple PCBU’s to clarify and improve the expectations on forest contractors and for forest service providers when they come onto a working forestry site’.

The winning Waratah entry was for a New Zealand-originated design or technology initiative that best demonstrates a solution to a specific health and safety issue, including new designs or control methods which help to eliminate or minimise a risk – namely its work in protecting against chain shot.

The Waratah head orientation sensor is a conceptual supplementary system designed to alert the machine operator when the chain saw is aligned with the machine cab. The operator can then rotate the saw to a different orientation to reduce the risk of chain shot impacting the machine.

The sensor consists of a rugged infrared laser sensor mounted to the harvester head to detect retroreflective tape applied around the perimeter of the cab window, directly in front of the machine operator. When the sensor detects that the saw is aligned with the cab, the system then alerts the machine operator that the head position is not optimal and that it should be adjusted away from the cab.

Meanwhile, the PF Olsen award resulted from two incidents, both involving service providers, highlighting the need for further focus on the 3C’s to consult, co-operate and co-ordinate where there are overlapping duties between PCBU’s (a person conducting a business or undertaking). At the same time, Sheryl Dawson CEO of McFall Fuel approached PF Olsen to let the company know it required more clarification on what was required around interactions with contractors and when they as service providers would come onto forestry work sites.

A project management team, a sub-committee of PF Olsen’s Central Safety Committee (CSC), was established in July 2016. It comprised PF Olsen staff and contractors, one other larger forest owner and a range of service providers, including Gough Group, Waratah NZ, Bridgestone NZ, Truck Stops NZ and McFall Fuel.

They set about clarifying the various possible interactions and exactly what the contractors would provide to – and would require from – each service provider prior to site entry. This included forest owner permits, written procedures for each task, hazard and risk assessments, site inductions, communication protocols and relevant emergency procedures.

A draft guidance was circulated amongst staff, contractors and service providers for feedback. This team then developed a training guideline to ensure a thorough understanding of the more complex provisions.

PF Olsen’s Health and Safety Manager, Nic Steens, presented this guidance along with risk management training to 330 individuals around New Zealand, including all staff, senior contractor representatives and their service providers. This training has enabled safety systems to be updated in line with the HSW Act 2015.

PF Olsen says PCBU’s now understand how they should act at a forestry worksite, and in particular what constitutes appropriate safety behaviours. They also appreciate the clear protocols around how to cease work when it deviates from their own safety and risk management systems.

NZL