Honouring Helen Kelly and protecting forestry's safety gains

Joe's blog

Ten years ago this month, former NZCTU President and passionate advocate for health and safety at work, Helen Kelly, passed away. And what a legacy she left behind, including in our sector.

Helen was instrumental in driving health and safety reforms in the forest industry in the three or four years before her death. And at the time of her passing, we pledged to honour her by continuing to work with unions and forestry workers to strongly support improved worker engagement and participation in forestry.

We’ve been reflecting on that recently, and we hope Kelly would be pleased with the sector's progress to date. It’s now 18 months since the last forest fatality and over two years since the last manual tree-felling fatality. 

We pledge to keep working hard on the very worthwhile mahi you helped put in place for our sector, Helen Kelly.

Modern makeover for forest road traffic control a step closer

Forestry operations and forest roads have changed significantly since the industry’s Best Practice Guideline (BPG) for Temporary Traffic Control was published in 2007.

Operations are more mechanised, forest roads are busier and, in many places, those roads are now shared with a wider range of users.

The BPG is being updated to reflect that changing environment, with a full consolidated draft now being reviewed by the Operational Advisory Group (OAG), the industry working group guiding the project for the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC).

Review programme manager Nic Steens says the proposed new BPG is much broader in scope, with new sections covering public access to private forests, forest entrance standards and shared access ways. These additions address gaps identified in surveys of industry and recreational users.

“The groups concerned about shared access ways have reviewed the relevant new section and are happy with the result,” he says.

The BPG has also been brought into line with current New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi standards for sign specifications. New example sign layouts have been adapted from those developed by the forestry industry following the release of the existing BPG and already widely favoured by industry, Steens says.

Making the new guide practical and easy to use on site has also been a priority.

“A decision tool for choosing the right type of road closure, and simple templates for recording a traffic control plan, make it a practical guide to use on site,” he says.

“The plan templates follow the same approach as the NZ Guide to Temporary Traffic Management used on public roads.”

Steens says work has also begun on aligning section 15 of the Forestry Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) with the revised BPG, with discussions with WorkSafe NZ to follow.

“We want to thank everyone who has contributed to the review to date, and to let them know that a wider industry consultation will follow after the OAG review.”

For more information, contact Nic Steens

A reminder on fuel price pressures and motor‑manual felling

In April this year, the Forest Industry Safety Council issued a statement on fuel prices and the risks of returning to motor-manual felling.

At the time, we all hoped the fuel price pressure would be short lived. However, this has not eventuated.

As a result FISC is keen to reiterate its previous advice for companies actively exploring ways to adapt, innovate and control costs, particularly if this involves consideration of a move away from mechanised felling towards increased use of motor-manual felling, largely to reduce fuel consumption.

FISC reaffirms that any widespread return to motor‑manual felling would significantly increase risk to workers.

The Approved Code of Practice for Forestry Operations clearly identifies motor‑manual felling as one of the most hazardous activities in forest harvesting. Historically, the majority of serious injuries and fatalities in the forestry sector have occurred during motor‑manual felling operations.

The move to mechanised felling instead has delivered the single most significant reduction in harm and fatalities seen in the sector. This safety gain has been hard-won, and FISC would hate to see it eroded.

A broad shift back to motor‑manual felling risks reversing this progress and exposing workers to substantially higher levels of danger.

As in our earlier statement on this, FISC chief executive Joe Akari acknowledges that motor‑manual felling is still used successfully in some operations, particularly in terrain or environments where mechanised machines cannot safely operate. However, these operations typically rely on highly developed and rigorously applied safe systems of work to manage the increased risk.

Such systems include:

• Robust risk assessment and work planning
• Comprehensive and site‑specific felling plans
• Use of qualified Level 3 and Level 4 fallers only
• Use of Safetree‑certified fallers, with annual competency assessments
• Active monitoring through Safe Behavioural Observations
• Proven worker match‑fitness, with specified minimum and maximum hours to maintain skill and fitness
• Observers available where required
• Strong communication and check‑in systems
• Effective fatigue management practices
• Industry best‑practice Personal Protective Equipment
• Consistent use of the Five‑Step Felling Plan
• Maintenance of a minimum two tree‑length exclusion zone

“These are multiple, overlapping layers of control that have been developed over time and are practised every day to keep motor‑manual fallers safe and supported,” Akari says. “They are not systems that can be put in place overnight.”

He once again urges all forestry operators to carefully weigh short‑term cost pressures against the long-term safety risks associated with changing felling methods.

“While fuel costs are a significant challenge, worker safety must remain the paramount consideration above all else,” he says.

Forestry safety gains recognised with new workplace harm report

The Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC) has welcomed recognition of the forestry sector’s progress in improving health and safety.

At the launch of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum’s annual State of a Thriving Nation 2026 report last month, forestry was highlighted as a sector that has made real safety gains in redesigning work through innovation and mechanisation.

The annual report estimates workplace harm nationwide cost New Zealand $5.5 billion in 2025. Occupational ill health accounted for $3.1 billion, or 57 per cent of the total, while fatalities cost an estimated $1.1 billion and injuries a further $1.3 billion. 

The report points to encouraging progress. Workplace injury claims have fallen 28 per cent over the past decade, with some of the largest reductions occurring in industries that have historically experienced the highest levels of harm.

While every industry has improved its injury performance over the past decade, the report says some of the biggest reductions have been in higher-harm industries. The injury rate for agriculture, forestry and fishing fell 57 points to 114 claims per 1,000 workers.

Forestry and logging recorded an ACC claim rate of 100 per 1,000 workers across all business sizes, placing it between metal and machinery manufacturing and hospitals.

Barton says the findings show change is possible, but improvement is still too slow.

"New Zealand is making progress and leading businesses continue to reduce rates of harm, but our workers are still 1.4 times more likely to die at work than in Australia and 3.4 times more likely than in Great Britain.

“Additionally, mental wellbeing is the only measure in our member survey that has consistently worsened since 2024."

The report also looks beyond injuries and harm occurring within businesses themselves to consider the impact across the wider supply chains.

Report author and economist Shamubeel Eaqub says this broader view provides a more complete picture of workplace harm.

"Businesses naturally focus on their own employees, but significant harm occurs throughout supply and contractor networks while producing the goods and services individual businesses rely on.

“That harm is becoming visible and measurable, changing our understanding of risk and influence."

For forestry, the report puts the injury rate at 100 ACC claims per 1,000 of its own workers, rising to an estimated 449 injuries per 1,000 across the full supply chain.

Barton says the report’s findings point to a broader challenge across New Zealand’s health and safety system.

“New Zealand has extensive health and safety regulation but lacks sufficiently clear stewardship and coordination across the system. Consequently, businesses experience one system, while government manages many parts of it.

“We need clearer accountability, better coordination and greater confidence that the system is working. System stewardship is much clearer in Great Britain than in New Zealand."

Read the full report

Latest Safety Alerts

Two new forestry Safety Alerts have been released recently.

These relate to:

• Diesel vehicles and diesel particulate filters
• Tether rope failures in winch-assisted harvesting

Make sure you benefit from the learnings of these latest alerts.

Visit the Safetree website to learn more.