Working alone

We have just given away a personal locator beacon.  The lightweight ACR ResQLink 2881 Floating PLB with GPS – is the worlds smallest Personal Locator Beacon in your pocket!!!  Serious solitude has its inherit risks and the ACR beacon provides an instantaneous lifeline if you or your party get lost or injured or stranded.  Make sure you alos check out Southland Locator Beacons at www.locatorbeacons.co.nz

The competition prize was carefully chosen, as AgSafe cares about you and is aware of how a PCBU might be responsible for staff and their safety.

A PCBU must ensure that an emergency plan is prepared for the workplace.  Many farmers and their employees work in isolation and in isolated areas on a farm.  The Act is very clear about the responsibilities and uses the word MUST in relation to the paragraphs relating to emergency plans.  The word “must” is an unconditional word and therefore it must be adhered to!!

The Health & Safety at Work Act (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016 state that 

The emergency plan must:

  1.  Provide emergency procedures, including (a) An effective response to an emergency; (b) Evacuation procedures; (c) Procedures for notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity; (d) Medical treatment and assistance procedures; (e) Procedures to ensure effective communication between the person authorised by the PCBU to co-ordinate the emergency response and all other people in the workplace.

    2.  Provision for testing of emergency procedures, including the frequency of testing.

   3.   Provision of information, training and instruction to the relevant workers in relation to the implementation                of  the emergency procedures.

A PCBU who contravenes this regulation commits and offence and is liable for conviction:  1.  For an individual a fine not exceeding $10,000; 2. For any other person, a fine not exceeding $50,000.

The emergency plans must take into account the size of the business, the location and size of the workplace and the number of employees.

Working in isolation on a farm also poses risks for the employees and the employer and safety is always the No1 priority.  As farms get larger and there are less employees on larger properties it is important to ensure others know your general movements and likely return times for regular activities such as milking or evening dinner times.  This is even more important on the remote dry stock properties.   What might have been considered a nosey neighbour in the past can now be a possible vital link in providing for the safety of people in the rural sector.

AdSafe NZ can assist your business in preparing Health & Safety plans for you.  We will also prepare emergency plans when required, but as part of your emergency plan, get to know your neighbours.

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James Findlay


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