It’s 2022, and health and safety policies are more than just a box to tick for workplaces. All NZ businesses (or, person conducting a business or undertaking ‘PCBUs’) must comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
So, first off – what is the Health and Safety at Work Act? worksafe.govt.nz sum it up as the following:
The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) is largely based on the Australian work health and safety law but with changes to reflect the differences between the New Zealand and Australian working environments. It recognises that a well-functioning health and safety system relies on participation, leadership, and accountability by government, business and workers.
A guiding principle of HSWA is that workers and other persons should be given the highest level of protection against harm to their health, safety, and welfare from work risks as is reasonably practicable.
Parallaxx’s focus is on people’s safety first and foremost – with a goal to be the centre of harm-free excellence in temporary traffic management in NZ. Therefore, it’s only fair to conclude that Health and Safety competence and excellence is a natural extension of this vision. The TTM industry gives rise to many risks for workers on a day-to-day basis, so a comprehensive and compliant H&S plan is essential.
At Parallaxx, we have a dedicated injury prevention specialist – Claire Raoult. As the injury prevention specialist her job is to mitigate and control the health and safety risks associated with temporary traffic management. She assists our staff to make safe and reasonable decisions in their daily jobs by conducting regular risk assessments to eliminate or minimise the risks they come across.
Our injury prevention specialist develops and implements a robust health & safety management system. She is also tasked to consults with our contractors and suppliers to help them comply with the NZ legislation, therefore keeping people as safe as possible.
Claire also actively contributes to the NZTA Road to Zero strategy. She is qualified in occupational health and safety management and is a professional New Zealand Safety Management Institute (NZISM) member and Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ) member.
Over the last year, Claire has been working closely with the Parallaxx management team, clients, and suppliers, allowing our people to work around the pandemic outbreak to ensure the continuity of consultancy, auditing, and training services.
Parallaxx Health and Safety Services
Parallaxx recently launched their nationwide Health and Safety Services for the temporary traffic management industry. This is an independent health and safety site audit that provides objective and professional evaluation of your health and safety management system to ensure continuous improvement and compliance with current health and safety legislation.
Having a competent and an experienced pair of eyes on your health and safety system is the best way to ensure you are doing the right thing.
Claire offers a practical and positive approach to site audits and is able to deliver either in-person or remotely nationwide. The Following are areas that Parallaxx can help you out with:
- · Review your health and safety system
- · Site inspections
- · Health and safety audits
- · Prequalification assistance (Site Wise, IMPAC, Totika)
- · Health and Safety Toolbox
- · Health and Safety Training (Fire Warden, ICAM, HSC Members, etc)
Audit services details
Site Audit (2-4 hours)
One of our safety consultants will complete a physical audit, including your office, yard and worksite. They will provide a written report their findings and recommendations (usually within seven days).
Audit criteria includes but is not limited to:
- – Signage
- – Emergency management
- – Hazardous substances
- – Working at Heights
- – Confined Spaces
- – Risk Management
- – Personal protective equipment
- – Vehicles, plant and equipment
- – Electrical tools and maintenance.
Health and Safety Documentation
Audit (8-10 hours)
One of our safety consultants will review your health and safety documentation and provide a written report on our findings and recommendations (usually within seven days).
Audit criteria include:
– Health and safety policies and procedures
– JSA, SWMS, SOP
– Risk Register, Incident register
– Training and Competencies
– Hazardous substances inventory, SDS and SOP
– Worker’s engagement and communication (HSC minutes, Toolbox, Meeting Minutes)
– Health and safety induction content