Harvesting Historical Sites, Safety Alerts, Emergency Plans
I recently heard a good story about how information from incident reports can support innovation in health and safety. Engineering company Trinder used information from forestry’s IRIS health and safety database to develop a new product that helps overcome problems with the way chains were being thrown and tensioned.
Joe’s blog
I recently heard a good story about how information from incident reports can support innovation in health and safety. Engineering company Trinder used information from forestry’s IRIS health and safety database to evaluate incident trends for log truck drivers. The data helped Trinder identify problems with the way chains were being thrown and tensioned.
With support from ACC and Forest Growers Research, it developed a chain thrower, tensioner and load monitoring system that is now being sold under its WASP brand. It’s great to see the IRIS database being used in this way, to support improvements in health and safety.
We are fortunate to have an industry-wide health and safety database like IRIS – I can’t think of any other industry that has this level of collated reporting. Information from the database helps identify incident trends, and on many occasions projects and research have been sparked by IRIS data.
A key feature of IRIS is that it is reasonably representative - contributors to the database represent about 70% of the annual harvest. The data also goes back several years, making it possible to identify longer-term trends.
We are working with NZFOA and Scion, who run the database, to enhance its usefulness, including improving reporting and benchmarking functions. We would always welcome new contributors. To find out more about IRIS click here.
Joe Akari, CEO Safetree
Featured Contractor: Nik Bradnock – Clearwood Contracting
Treat the ground like it’s lava – don’t touch it. That was the advice given to Nik Bradnock when he took on the job of clearing mature pine trees from an archaeologically significant site in the Wairarapa.
“The requirement was to cause minimal disturbance to the archaeological features on the ground during the extraction, so we had to come up with some creative ways of harvesting the trees,” says Nik.
Known as the Mākōtukutuku/Cross site, the area is believed to be one of the oldest Māori settlements in New Zealand, dating from the 1300s. Watch this video about the innovative techniques Nik used to harvest the site and protect an important part of New Zealand’s history, while still looking after the safety and wellbeing of his workers.
Watch, share and comment on Facebook or TikTok
We’re looking for Contract Fallers
With support from WorkSafe, we’re offering free Safetree Worker Certification to contract tree-fallers. If you use contract fallers, or know of people working as contract fallers, please let them know about this opportunity. Safetree Worker Certification provides an independent and industry recognised confirmation that a contract faller meets required health and safety standards and is still at the top of their game.
To find out more, contact John.Lowe@fisc.org.nz
Safety Alerts
Safety Alerts are a great way for people in forestry to learn from each other’s experiences. If your organisation produces Safety Alerts, please send them to us so we can share them. Read, print and share these latest Safety Alerts relating to vehicles.
Drawbar spring snaps
A truck driver and loader operator were connecting the trailer to the truck. While the driver went to set the bolsters, the loader operator lifted the front of the trailer dolly to re-position the trailer. This repositioning placed strain on the pigtail drawbar spring (used to hold the drawbar up off the ground) which snapped, and sent parts of it as a projectile hitting the driver’s safety helmet.
4-Wheel drive roll-over
This light vehicle roll-over occurred when the driver entered the corner on the far left of the road where it was off-camber and there was loose metal. The vehicle was badly damaged and is likely to be written off. The driver, who was wearing their seatbelt, received minor whiplash.
Waratah guide to safe maintenance and servicing
Waratah has produced a guide to working safely around attachments. If you are training new workers or updating your health and safety plan this document will help ensure everyone is up to date on best practice when maintaining or doing basic servicing on Waratah equipment. Download the guide, talk through the key points at tailgate meetings, and leave a copy in containers/vehicles. Thanks for sharing Waratah.
Hauora Safety Leadership Courses: Places available
Feeback has been very positive about these courses, which are designed for new and emerging leaders in forestry. Supported by WorkSafe, they include a holistic approach where health and tikanga Māori (customs/traditions) are woven into the fabric of leadership and safety. They are for people who are up for the challenge of trying a new approach to leadership. The courses are running throughout the country in October and November. There are still places available for some courses.
To find out more contact jackie.delaney@fisc.org.nz
Useful Resources: Emergency planning
Good policies and processes exist to help keep people safe in forestry. But accidents do happen, so it’s essential to have good emergency plans in place and for everyone to understand them. The resources below can help businesses review and update their emergency plans. The tailgate card can also be printed out, discussed with the crew, and left in containers.