The mistake you don't want to make

Joe's blog

The mistake you don't want to make

Uncertainty feels like the only constant right now. Tensions in the Middle East, volatile fuel prices, and the flow-on effects for our domestic economy all raise questions for our businesses, our industry, and our families.

With so many challenges coming at us, it can be tempting to look for quick fixes - easy wins that help us get through the day.

Sometimes it may be tempting to cut corners, just to keep moving. But there’s something bigger we need to keep front of mind: our people.

When businesses and our hauora come under pressure, the human element can easily get lost. Yet it’s the very thing we need to return to time and again. Many workers and their families are feeling the strain, and business owners are carrying it too.

So while it may feel like the best option is to put your head down and push on, make sure you take the time to look up. Check in with your team or your teammates. How are they holding up? What pressures are they dealing with right now? Is anything going on that could affect their fitness for work?

Don’t let safety fall through the cracks while you’re focused on the task ahead. And if you’re changing work practices to manage fuel and costs, think carefully about the impact on your people. Extra pressures can introduce new risks - and those risks may require extra safety measures to ensure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.

Let’s not allow a financial challenge to become a tragedy.

Be safe out there.

Fuel price pressures and motor-manual felling

As the forestry sector responds to the current fuel supply and price pressures, the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC) recognises that companies are actively exploring ways to adapt, innovate and control costs.

As part of this response, FISC understands that some operations are considering a shift away from mechanised felling towards increased use of motor-manual felling, largely to reduce fuel consumption.

FISC is concerned 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.

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 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.

Logger Mark Brown celebrates his 10th worker certification

Achieving worker certification is always cause for celebration, but especially so for Mark Brown of Nelson/Marlborough’s Nigel Bryant Logging, who passed his 10th manual felling certification audit this year.

For Brown, the achievement represents a career spent continually learning and upskilling in an industry that has evolved significantly during his time in it.

He began his forestry career on the West Coast just before his 18th birthday, starting with a hauler crew with Bill Kissell. From those early days, Brown built a wide ranging career that has included silviculture, pruning, and long term harvesting roles across the West Coast, Marlborough, and Nelson regions. Apart from a two year stint working in Australia, he has spent about 23 years in the forestry industry.

Certification has been a constant throughout that time, with Brown completing his first worker certification around 2010–2011 under the predecessor to the Safetree certification scheme and then continually re-certifying as a manual faller with Safetree ever since.

Working with Kim and Nigel Bryant’s Viking crew since January 2025, Brown speaks highly of the team and its strong safety culture. Alongside his regular role, he has continued to expand his skills, completing additional Bell machinery tickets and assisting across different crews.

He sees certification as a vital part of doing his job well.

“Certification keeps you on your toes. It keeps you aware of situational changes and makes sure you’re not becoming complacent and letting things slip through.

“It keeps you on top of your game in terms of the quality of the job you do, situational awareness, hazards, controls, and taking into account environmental factors," Brown says.

“It’s helpful even right down to rule changes. It keeps you up to date with what's different in the ACOP (Approved Code of Practice), for instance.”

Safetree certification manager Mark Preece was delighted with Brown’s achievement.

“We’re excited to see Mark Brown, and a number of other fallers, continuing to use the certification programme as a way of verifying their skills and knowledge when it comes to manual falling. We look forward to keeping the programme relevant and seeing more workers reach these types of milestones in their careers,” he says.

Brown has seen alot change in forestry operations and technology over his time in the industry, and says improvements in health and safety practices have been significant.

Nigel Bryant Logging marked Brown’s 10th certification with a write-up in the company newsletter and a surprise.

“They slipped me an envelope, and it was a nice, generous bonus,” he says.

For Brown, it’s the simple things that keep him in forestry: the outdoors, the people, and “the banter".

LTSC Contractor Certification seminars 2026

The Log Transport Safety Council (LTSC) is running a series of regional seminars designed to guide operators through the Contractor Certification Programme.

The seminars are suitable for owner-drivers, log transport contractors, operators preparing for certification and businesses wanting to better understand the audit process.

Three seminars will be held across the country, including:

• Dunedin - Saturday 16 May 2026
• Wellington / Wairarapa - Saturday 13 June 2026
• Northland - Saturday 4 July 2026.

(A seminar was also held in Napier last year.)

These practical, one-day seminars will provide a clear walkthrough of the Contractor Certification audit process, helping operators understand what is required and how to prepare for it. They include:

• A step-by-step walkthrough of the official audit template
• Guidance for owner-driver operations
• Key requirements for larger contractor businesses
• Practical explanations of what auditors look for
• Opportunity to ask questions and clarify requirements.

The aim is to make the certification process clear, practical, and achievable for all operators.

Interested?

Register your interest with Emma Godwin at LTSC