Latest news with #HealthandSafetyatWorkAct2015
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Headway Calls For Urgent Action To Stop 'Run It Straight'
Press Release – Headway The organisation says the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appear to deliberately target financially vulnerable people by offering large prize pools up to $20,000. Brain injury charity says the events pose a real risk of brain injury and lifelong disability Headway is raising urgent concerns about the Run It Straight events scheduled to take place across Auckland this month, calling them 'dangerous spectacles' with a very real risk of traumatic brain injury or death. 'These events are not sport. They're commercialised violence targeting the most vulnerable in our community,' said Stacey Mowbray, CEO. 'We see the lifelong impact of brain injury every day. This is not entertainment. It's a public health and safety crisis waiting to happen.' While concussions are often dismissed as mild or temporary, Headway notes that even so-called 'minor' brain injuries can lead to long-term mental health challenges, reduced capacity to work, and serious impacts on whānau. The organisation says the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appear to deliberately target financially vulnerable people by offering large prize pools up to $20,000. 'It's tough to say no to that kind of money when you're struggling but it's unacceptable to use financial hardship as leverage to expose people to brain injury,' said Mowbray. Headway also questions how these events were permitted. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, organisers must manage risks 'so far as is reasonably practicable.' Based on the scientific evidence on brain trauma, Headway believes these risks cannot be reasonably mitigated—especially not by the superficial measures promoted by organisers. 'The claim that onsite doctors and mouthguards are sufficient to make this safe is deeply misleading,' said the spokesperson. 'These do not prevent brain injury.' Earlier this month, Headway raised the issue with Auckland Council, the Mayor's office, Councillors, MPs, and WorkSafe New Zealand. Responses to date have been unsatisfactory, and the organisation will now be submitting an Official Information Act request to determine how permits were issued and what risk assessments, if any, were reviewed. The largest of the upcoming events is being held at Trusts Arena. Headway is particularly concerned about the involvement of Chanel Harris-Tavita as a special guest and have contacted the New Zealand Warriors to express concern about his endorsement of the event. Headway has also contacted Auckland Rugby Union and Auckland Rugby League to understand how an affiliated rugby club and rugby league club could also host smaller versions of Run it Straight. 'We urge venue operators, local authorities, and sports bodies to act now,' said the spokesperson. 'These events carry serious, lasting harm—and those enabling them share responsibility.'
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Headway Calls For Urgent Action To Stop 'Run It Straight'
Press Release – Headway Brain injury charity says the events pose a real risk of brain injury and lifelong disability Headway is raising urgent concerns about the Run It Straight events scheduled to take place across Auckland this month, calling them 'dangerous spectacles' with a very real risk of traumatic brain injury or death. 'These events are not sport. They're commercialised violence targeting the most vulnerable in our community,' said Stacey Mowbray, CEO. 'We see the lifelong impact of brain injury every day. This is not entertainment. It's a public health and safety crisis waiting to happen.' While concussions are often dismissed as mild or temporary, Headway notes that even so-called 'minor' brain injuries can lead to long-term mental health challenges, reduced capacity to work, and serious impacts on whānau. The organisation says the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appear to deliberately target financially vulnerable people by offering large prize pools up to $20,000. 'It's tough to say no to that kind of money when you're struggling but it's unacceptable to use financial hardship as leverage to expose people to brain injury,' said Mowbray. Headway also questions how these events were permitted. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, organisers must manage risks 'so far as is reasonably practicable.' Based on the scientific evidence on brain trauma, Headway believes these risks cannot be reasonably mitigated—especially not by the superficial measures promoted by organisers. 'The claim that onsite doctors and mouthguards are sufficient to make this safe is deeply misleading,' said the spokesperson. 'These do not prevent brain injury.' Earlier this month, Headway raised the issue with Auckland Council, the Mayor's office, Councillors, MPs, and WorkSafe New Zealand. Responses to date have been unsatisfactory, and the organisation will now be submitting an Official Information Act request to determine how permits were issued and what risk assessments, if any, were reviewed. The largest of the upcoming events is being held at Trusts Arena. Headway is particularly concerned about the involvement of Chanel Harris-Tavita as a special guest and have contacted the New Zealand Warriors to express concern about his endorsement of the event. Headway has also contacted Auckland Rugby Union and Auckland Rugby League to understand how an affiliated rugby club and rugby league club could also host smaller versions of Run it Straight. 'We urge venue operators, local authorities, and sports bodies to act now,' said the spokesperson. 'These events carry serious, lasting harm—and those enabling them share responsibility.'
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Headway Calls For Urgent Action To Stop 'Run It Straight'
Brain injury charity says the events pose a real risk of brain injury and lifelong disability Headway is raising urgent concerns about the Run It Straight events scheduled to take place across Auckland this month, calling them 'dangerous spectacles' with a very real risk of traumatic brain injury or death. 'These events are not sport. They're commercialised violence targeting the most vulnerable in our community,' said Stacey Mowbray, CEO. 'We see the lifelong impact of brain injury every day. This is not entertainment. It's a public health and safety crisis waiting to happen.' While concussions are often dismissed as mild or temporary, Headway notes that even so-called 'minor' brain injuries can lead to long-term mental health challenges, reduced capacity to work, and serious impacts on whānau. The organisation says the format and promotion of the Run It Straight events appear to deliberately target financially vulnerable people by offering large prize pools up to $20,000. 'It's tough to say no to that kind of money when you're struggling but it's unacceptable to use financial hardship as leverage to expose people to brain injury,' said Mowbray. Headway also questions how these events were permitted. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, organisers must manage risks 'so far as is reasonably practicable.' Based on the scientific evidence on brain trauma, Headway believes these risks cannot be reasonably mitigated—especially not by the superficial measures promoted by organisers. 'The claim that onsite doctors and mouthguards are sufficient to make this safe is deeply misleading,' said the spokesperson. 'These do not prevent brain injury.' Earlier this month, Headway raised the issue with Auckland Council, the Mayor's office, Councillors, MPs, and WorkSafe New Zealand. Responses to date have been unsatisfactory, and the organisation will now be submitting an Official Information Act request to determine how permits were issued and what risk assessments, if any, were reviewed. The largest of the upcoming events is being held at Trusts Arena. Headway is particularly concerned about the involvement of Chanel Harris-Tavita as a special guest and have contacted the New Zealand Warriors to express concern about his endorsement of the event. Headway has also contacted Auckland Rugby Union and Auckland Rugby League to understand how an affiliated rugby club and rugby league club could also host smaller versions of Run it Straight. 'We urge venue operators, local authorities, and sports bodies to act now,' said the spokesperson. 'These events carry serious, lasting harm—and those enabling them share responsibility.'
NZ Herald
14-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Far North says ‘no to bullying' on Pink Shirt Day
Pink Shirt Day aims to reduce bullying by celebrating diversity in all its forms and supporting workplaces, communities and schools to be safe, supportive, welcoming and inclusive of all people. While all people can be the target of bullying, some groups or individuals experience more bullying than others. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and other sexuality and gender-diverse identities – also known as rainbow communities – experience higher levels of bullying. Pink Shirt Day started because people wanted to stop homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying, and this remains a strong focus of Pink Shirt Day today. Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying after a new Year 10 student was harassed and threatened for wearing pink. The students bought dozens of pink shirts and distributed them to their classmates to wear the next day. The word got out online and hundreds of students showed up in pink, some from head-to-toe, to stand together against bullying. It has been celebrated here since 2009. Bullying can have serious and ongoing impacts on people's mental health and wellbeing. Many studies show that people who are bullied are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and even suicidal thoughts. As with any health condition, mental health problems can affect a person's work and cause substantial costs to organisations. For workplaces, it's their legal responsibility under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to manage risks to mental health and wellbeing just like they do any other health and safety risk.
Scoop
10-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Worker's Fall Off Wet Roof Costs Employer $100k
Press Release – Industrial Safety News As winter creeps closer, WorkSafe is reminding businesses to take heed of the risks when operating at height after the sentencing of a Wellington business whose worker fell six metres. 38-year-old Josh Bowles had only been in his job for two months and had no experience or training in working at height when he fell from a slippery rooftop in central Wellington in April 2023. He spent six months in hospital recovering from a traumatic brain injury and multiple broken bones. The father of five still lives with continuous pain, and has been unable to work since the fall. A WorkSafe investigation found there was only limited edge protection to the roofline. In its absence, a harness system should have been used to keep workers safe but was not. Regardless, Bowles had no formal training on use of a harness or roof-anchors. His employer, Prowash, did not properly manage the risks of working in rainy conditions on a new iron roof with cleaning product on it. Prowash was unable to provide WorkSafe with any policies, or risk/hazard identification and control process, to prove it had a safe system of work in place. 'This was a preventable fall which has permanently impacted a young father's quality of life and job prospects,' says WorkSafe principal inspector, Paul Budd. 'Falls from height are a well-known risk and there is no excuse for not putting proper protections in place – especially in bad weather. If the work needs to be postponed until conditions are more favourable, then do so. 'The best controls are those that don't require active judgement by a worker. This includes solutions such as edge protection or scaffolding. If a worker slips or missteps, as we saw in this case, there is a physical barrier between themselves and the ground below,' says Budd. WorkSafe says businesses must manage their risks, and where they don't it will take action. Background Prowash Wellington Limited was sentenced at Wellington District Court on 15 April 2025 A fine of $40,000 was imposed, and reparations of $77,456 ordered Prowash was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 Being a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), having a duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Joshua Bowles, while the workers are at work, namely while carrying out work on the roof of 258 Taranaki Street, Wellington, did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed workers to a risk of death or serious injury from a fall from height. The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.
