Now is the time to give us your feedback. The survey is open until Friday 29th March. Here is the link to the survey. We think the survey should take you 5-10 minutes:
Entries are now open (and close Tuesday 30th April). This year all entries must be submitted online: https://www.judgify.me/2019-design-awards
2019 Award categories are:
Apprentice Awards (sponsored by BCITO)
Advicewise reports on a last chance to comment while Government consults on migrant workers, and how to prepare for law changes that take effect on 1 April 2019:
Start 2019 by staying informed. The latest employment law update from Advicewise below talks about:
* Big ACC support for SMEs
* Minimum Wage for next three years
* Constructive dismissal blues
In the last four months, four manufacturing companies have been sentenced under the Health and Safety at Work Act for inadequately guarding machinery. So far this year, 11 manufacturing companies have been sentenced for machine guarding failures.
The latest was All Flex Packaging Limited, a company that provides packaging, film and print services to the food industry. They were sentenced in the Manukau District Court in October following an incident in January 2017. A worker was operating machinery at their Wiri factory when his right hand was pulled into an exposed nip point between two rollers. The worker’s hand was crushed, and he suffered both degloving injuries and fractures to his hand.
WorkSafe found inadequate machine guarding, no risk assessment by a competent person, no Safe Operating Procedure for the machine and inadequate training for the machine operators in the use of the machine.
The failure to adequately guard machinery has been a consistent issue in the manufacturing sector and WorkSafe says the industry needs to lift its competency in assessing the risk that machinery poses and guarding the machinery adequately.
“WorkSafe is visiting scenes too often where something has got stuck in a machine, a machine has jammed or something needed to be moved and a worker has damaged a limb in the process. It is time for the manufacturing industry to lift its game and take ownership for the injuries that are occurring on its watch,” WorkSafe’s Head of Specialist Interventions Simon Humphries said.
Notes:
• A fine of $100,000 was imposed.
• Reparation of $20,000 was ordered.
• All Flex Packaging Limited was sentenced under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 2(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015.
• Being a PCBU, failed to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who worked for the PCBU, while the workers were at work in the business or undertaking, and that failure exposed any individual to a risk of serious injury or death.
• The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1,500,000.
News of the latest delay in this mainstay of Labour’s election promises has of course already broken, but it is interesting to recall the story so far.
Introduced to Parliament on 29 January 2018, the Employment Relations Amendment Bill 2018 had its first reading on 1 February, when it was sent to the Select Committee with a report expected by 1 August. In the event, the report was published on 7 September. It took until 27 November for its second reading in Parliament, and the revised expected date for the Bill to come into force is now 6 May 2019.
What’s up now? Workplace Relations and Safety Minister, Iain Lees-Galloway has introduced a Supplementary Order Paper suggesting further amendments to the Bill. The changes are set out below.
One of the main concerns that employers have is being made an instrument in the drive for union membership. Forced inclusion in MECAs and unions’ unfettered access to workplaces are key elements of this.
The SOP proposes to:
• restrict a union official’s ability to access employers’ workplaces without consent to circumstances in which there is a relevant, in-force, collective agreement or where bargaining for a relevant collective agreement has been initiated;
• include a new purpose for which a union representative can enter a workplace – namely, where a non-union employee asks the union for assistance in relation to a health and safety matter;
• limit penalties for refusing access to a union representative to instances where the union representative is entitled to enter the workplace; and
• remove the current MECA opt-out wording, but state explicitly that objection to concluding a MECA is a genuine reason not to conclude a collective agreement if the objection is based on reasonable grounds.
• delay the progress of the Bill further. Instead of coming into force 4 months after Royal Assent (which was expected to be around March 2019), the Bill is now proposed to come into force on 6 May 2019.
No further change is proposed to the 90-day trial provision, which is limited to employers with fewer than 20 employees.
Jingle Bell season
The year-end always brings a spirit of bonhomie # and to some that’s a temptation to let it all hang out. Here’s a reminder of what is risky, on-site and off.
(# Start the celebrations by looking it up – https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/bonhomie)
In addition to your official Christmas party, some of your staff will be celebrating with customers and suppliers. Many have unofficial team celebrations. So the risk of inappropriate conduct for which you could be held accountable might be bigger than you thought.
Getting to and from the Company Christmas party
You must ensure, as far as is reasonably practical (you will recognise which Act this comes from), the health and safety of your team at any function that you arrange and pay for. This includes making sure that your team is safe while getting to and from the event.
The biggest risk is drink driving. Make sure that you have set and communicated your clear expectations to everyone, stressing the need for safe travel. Depending how let-it-all-hang-out the mood is, it might be wise to have someone monitor staff as they leave, and having taxi chits on hand for early celebrators and those with a glint in the eye.
Proper behaviour at the Company Christmas party
It’s your responsibility to ensure that your team is not harassed, bullied or discriminated against, and doesn’t do it to others.
A practical option is to designate some of your team to take on a hosting role and keep an eye on matters. Those persons should be instructed on what to do if they see or hear something untoward. Ideally they should prepare a plan for supervising the festivities and run it by management.
And at unofficial celebrations and after the Christmas party?
Unofficial celebrations usually start early – about now – team drinks after work and Secret Santas are common. And then there’s the after-party.
The main point is that your managers should be aware what is a work function and what isn’t. If an employee in a leadership position organises or promotes an event paid for by or advertised under the company name, the company should consider the health and safety responsibilities that follow.
What about parties with customers or suppliers?
Your employees represent your company at such functions, so they must adhere to your Code of Conduct and health and safety rules. The risk is easily managed by refreshing your team on these few points.
And the indispensable, evil Social Media?
Numerous employment law cases have confirmed that you are responsible if your behaviour on social media affects your employer’s reputation.
Bullying and harassment claims are much more common than before, and a focus for WorkSafe and the Government.
The risk can be minimised by firstly ensuring that your team knows what each of these terms mean, and secondly by acting immediately on a claim or complaint. It’s a delicate process to handle both parties simultaneously, and not the subject for this article.
An excellent start is to remind everyone on your policy for posting party pics online.
And that was 2018. Jingle bells!
This article is brought to you by WGANZ’s free employment helpline 0800 692 384. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the article above, please call Philip or Anthony on the helpline.
Have you seen this? The winner of the Institute of Structural Engineers Artistry award – the Steve Jobs Theater Pavilion in California. The 47m carbon fibre roof is the largest of its kind, comprised of 44 radial panels, which were assembled on site before being raised into position in one lift. This 80 tonne roof is supported by a 7m high glass cylinder, made up of glass panels, each consisting of four layers of 12mm thick plies, which hold up the roof without any additional support. It is the largest structure in the world solely supported by glass.
The structural systems were designed so that the conduits, sprinkler pipes, data, audio and security systems needed in the roof could be accommodated in the 30mm joints between the glass panels. As Cupertino is in a highly seismic zone, several strategies have been employed to protect the structure against seismic activity. More here
MIT engineers have developed a heat-rejecting film that could be applied to a building’s windows to reflect up to 70 percent of the sun’s incoming heat. The film is able to remain highly transparent below 32 degrees Celsius. Above this temperature, the researchers say, the film acts as an “autonomous system” to reject heat. The engineers estimate that if every exterior-facing window in a building were covered in this film, the building’s air conditioning and energy costs could drop by 10 percent. Read more here
A recent decision of the Privacy Commissioner deals with the use of cameras and voice recordings in work vehicles. It’s a timely reminder of employees’ rights to privacy while at work. It will also help employers review their use of surveillance equipment to ensure compliance with the Privacy Act. Read more
You can find us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram – just search for Window & Glass Association. Our social media goals focus on awareness and engagement. Via Twitter you can keep track of where I am and who I’m meeting. Instagram will obviously be key as we move into the 2019 Awards. LinkedIn will be a news channel for us. Anyway – make sure you’re connected. You’re not going to find any content – but it’s coming 🙂