So, what are the answers? There are many information seminars running that will help to answer these questions, but then, what do you do? How do you begin to develop a plan, or start reviewing your current plan and checking it’s still fit for purpose?
Primary ITO has developed a new workshop, Managing Health and Safety, to help you overcome these initial barriers, and get you on the road to developing a safer primary industry business.
First, you’ll need to bring your existing health and safety plan with you. Then the hands-on session will help you identify what you already have that meets requirements, what you already do that is good practice and should continue doing, and the gaps in your plan and how to fill them.
There’ll be an interactive discussion session on the recent changes to health and safety legislation and what they actually mean for your business. You’ll also have time to talk to other business owners and managers about the problems they’ve faced and techniques they’ve used to overcome them. Most importantly, you’ll begin to develop your plan. At the end of the workshop, you’ll know what you need to do next and how you are going to do it. Information is useful, but knowing what to do with it once you get back to your business is absolutely key.
“The workshop helped to remove the fears we have around the health and safety requirements for our business,” Lina Castles from Dannevirke Carriers says.
“It was also great to meet other business owners and share ideas about the situations we face, and how we can manage them. It’s the realisation that this good health and safety is good for our business, and good for our staff and families; we need to just get on with it.
“The most important aspect is ensuring that we look after our people, and we can do that by managing the risks they face in our businesses on a daily basis,” Linda Stewart from Primary ITO says.
“What will help us achieve that is developing a health and safety system that’s straightforward, easy to use and relevant to each individual business. It’s not just a series of templates, it’s a system that is used every day by everyone in the business.”
If you’re interested in enrolling in the Managing Health and Safety workshop, join online at www.primaryito.ac.nz/shortcourses or call 0800 273 337.
