Newsletter: Charter August Update

I have never read ‘The Art of War’ by Sun Tzu, a book of military tactics which dates back to the 5^th century BC, but the most common quote from it appears to be “in the midst of chaos, there is opportunity”. It would be an understatement to say that the process of getting the stadium started has not been chaotic, but what opportunities does this present?

The stadium debate has come and gone, and the council has voted to proceed with the project based on a 77% public show of support and a fixed price contract from the main contractor. However, as one pundit pointed out, a fixed price contract in the construction industry does not necessarily guarantee a fixed cost to the council.

I read with interest the varying points of view from councillors, the rugby union, the Chamber of Commerce, quotes from old movies, and members of the public. I don’t want to debate the decision again, but the two sides of the argument could be summed up as “too much money for something that will only be utilised sporadically” versus “build it and they will come”.

The Safety Charter arose out of the Christchurch Earthquakes and the need for improvements in both health and safety practice and outcomes during the demolition and rebuild. The work of the Charter and its members created health and safety reform prior to Pike River and the HSAW Act of 2015. In this regard Canterbury business were ahead of the curve and well positioned for the new legislation.

The rebuild has essentially come and gone, while health and safety continues to evolve. Now there is less emphasis on reactive measures, and more on proactive steps like pre-accident investigations, learning teams, and health and safety by design. This is changing the role of the health and safety professional from policeman and compliance officer to facilitator and supporter. The current trends all involve greater worker engagement, collaboration, and focussing on the gap between work as planned and work as done.

There is one tool in the marketplace that facilitates all these trends and enables greater understanding and communication of risk. This tool is Building Information Modelling (BIM). The next revolution in health and safety will be a digital one.

The Stadium Project represents the best opportunity for Canterbury to lead the nation and take health and safety to the next level. Digital health and safety, BIMSafe. On one project we will have one of the largest construction teams ever assembled in Christchurch, and what a great opportunity to have every tradie include an ipad on their toolbelt. The benefits to the workforce and the region will then flow onto other sites, and the knowledge and expertise will expand exponentially. The future is here, now.

Paul Duggan, General Manager

The Charter’s Health and Safety Leaders group presented this workshop to a diverse group of HSR’s and their managers. Euan Gutteridge started the presentations with a health and safety wellbeing moment based on his personal experiences of motorbike riding, learning to speak Gaelish, and improving his own fitness and diet.

Sherry Peck, the recently appointed WorkSafe NZ HSR Development Lead, then spoke about her role and the HSR community she is establishing in Canterbury. Her central message was that engagement and communication were the key pillars, and that there is no generic template as all workplaces are unique and need to develop their own systems that reflect their own values. She also mentioned vulnerability, courage and empathy as three key attributes to develop in HSR’s. Sherry provided some resources and key tips for HSR’s and their managers to utilise.

Shane Strode-Penny then shared his journey from truck driver to ACC recipient, to health and safety intern, to National Health and Safety Manager, and finally technical specialist and his many and varied experiences along the way. Shane was open and honest about his experiences and talked of the ways to develop HSR’s into positions of greater responsibility through training and opportunity

The workshop was well attended and there was a very positive vibe in the room. It was great to see so many remain behind for further discussion and networking.

The presentations from the workshop can be found here. 

SafeSkills Safeguard’s Health & Safety Rep Conference, is back for 2022!

SafeSkills is a one-day event that will assist HSR’s to develop the skills they need to be more effective in representing their fellow workers and increasing worker engagement and participation. To foster an interactive learning environment, it is delivered using a mix of workshop-style and case study sessions.

On the Agenda

• Workshop: Effective communication – be the best advocate you can
• Mental health conversations
• Evolution of the HSR role
• Case study: WEPR the game changer
• Case study: Speaking up to make the workplace safer

The 2022 SafeSkills Conference is being held in Christchurch on Wednesday 24 August at Rydges Latimer and also in 4 other locations as follows;

• Dunedin – 23 August (Fable Hotel)
• Wellington – 25 August (Intercontinental Hotel)
• Auckland – 30 August (Eden Park)
• Hamilton – 31 August (Claudelands)

Group discounts are available – book 4 and the 5th attends for free.  Please contact Annette Vao to take advantage of this offer.  

The Safety Charter welcomes the following business who have joined our health and safety community over the last few months.  In addition we also welcome Mark, Jude, Natasha, Robert and Stephen who have joined as individual members. 

Thanks to Placemakers for their continued support of Charter workshops and events.