Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Stories - Page 3

Kiwi Stories

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) stories

Top 9 health & safety risks in construction

Worksites remain vulnerable to falls, electrocution and fire, with the risk of serious injury or death still high without strict controls.

By Michael Curreen • 6 min read • Wed, 22nd Mar 2023

Disaster Recovery

Working with silt or soil after flooding

Workers face contamination risks from flood silt, with WorkSafe warning of germs, chemicals and asbestos during clean-up.

By Michael Curreen • 4 min read • Tue, 14th Mar 2023

Risk & Compliance

Eye injury a result of company’s safety oversights

A Northland orchard worker was left with permanent vision damage after a wire snapped, exposing failures in training, supervision and PPE use.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 5th Mar 2023

Disaster Recovery

Handling mould risks at your property after a flood

Flood-hit homes must be dried and cleaned quickly, as damp carpet, insulation and leaks can fuel mould and health risks within days.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 19th Feb 2023

Gender diversity

Reducing discomfort among women tradies

Rising numbers of women in trades are driving demand for bras that support all-day physical work without the discomfort of sports bras.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Tue, 24th Jan 2023

Risk & Compliance

More must be done to manage asbestos risks

Poor handling of asbestos remains a deadly threat in ageing buildings, with WorkSafe warning around 220 New Zealanders die each year.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Fri, 25th Nov 2022

Risk & Compliance

Common industrial hazards and how to avoid them

Better training, clearer signage and prompt reporting can help industrial employers cut accidents before they injure workers or halt production.

By Michael Curreen • 5 min read • Mon, 7th Nov 2022

Agricultural Technology

How to prevent harm from hydrogen sulphide

Workers can be killed within minutes if toxic hydrogen sulphide builds up in confined or poorly ventilated spaces, WorkSafe warns.

By Michael Curreen • 13 min read • Fri, 23rd Sep 2022

Risk & Compliance

Spirometry testing advised to resume

Businesses may now restart lung checks for welders and silica workers, after WorkSafe said COVID-19 risks have eased enough.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Thu, 25th Aug 2022

Risk & Compliance

Liquidation no escape from health and safety accountability

WorkSafe says directors remain liable after insolvency, as a painter’s death in Bucklands Beach exposed failures to use edge protection.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Fri, 29th Jul 2022

Risk & Compliance

Listening – a powerful safety tool

Worker buy-in is often the missing link, with listening helping managers improve reporting, engagement and hazard detection.

By Michael Curreen • 4 min read • Tue, 19th Jul 2022

Risk & Compliance

‘I’m not their mother’ no excuse for lax health and safety

A Kaikoura fencing sole trader has been ordered to pay NZD $22,500 after a teenage worker lost sight in one eye.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 17th Jul 2022

Risk & Compliance

Gross negligence caused toxic gas death

A judge has called the site a fatal gas chamber after a worker died from hydrogen sulphide exposure, and the firm was fined and ordered to pay reparations.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 19th Jun 2022

Risk & Compliance

Coming winter a ‘toxic cocktail’ for worker safety

Slippery surfaces, tighter deadlines and fatigue are set to raise injury risks as wet weather returns and firms chase quotas.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 5th May 2022

Human Capital Management

Ending vaccine pass requirements puts employers at risk

Employers could face scrutiny from Worksafe and the Employment Relations Authority if they drop passes without a proper Covid risk assessment.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Sun, 3rd Apr 2022

Risk & Compliance

Three injured after training goes up in smoke

WorkSafe says poor briefing and missing protective gear left three service personnel with lifelong injuries after a faulty mock exercise in Palmerston North.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 31st Mar 2022