Latest news with #workplaceSafety
RNZ News
20 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
98 road cone reports on hotline's first day
Photo: Photo / 123RF WorkSafe received 98 reports on the first day of its road cone hotline. The 12-month pilot got underway on Tuesday, as part of the government's broader overhauls to health and safety. The workplace relations and safety minister Brooke van Velden has shifted WorkSafe's focus from enforcement to advice , telling the agency to work with businesses and individuals to manage risks. Her letter of expectation told WorkSafe to establish the hotline for businesses and individuals to report excessive road cone use traffic management requirements, with follow-up inspections where necessary. A WorkSafe spokesperson said as at 4:30pm on Tuesday, it had received 98 reports. Van Velden said the road cone policy would be the most "front-facing" that people would see, as most people were not going onto dangerous work sites. She said there were originally suggestions of a road cone phone line, but she went against it and suggested a digital system as it would need fewer resources and staffing. "I want people when they're out on the streets, taking their kids to school or heading to work, to know that if they see a roadcone... it's there for harm. Whereas at the moment, there are so many road cones that people are ignoring them." Transport minister Chris Bishop said the use of road cones was regulated in various ways, but NZTA had a role to play. "NZTA is not responsible for all the roads around the country. They're responsible for State Highways, but often people have road cone issues on local roads, which are the responsibility of the contractor, who's ultimately responsible to the local council, who sets the rules around that," he said. "There's temporary traffic management in place around particular events, which has been and can be quite overzealous." Bishop said there would continue to be cones on the road, as the government had made significant investments in road maintenance. Labour leader Chris Hipkins was not in favour of the hotline. "It's a total waste of time. Ultimately, WorkSafe should be focused on keeping people alive at work, making sure that all of our workplaces are safe, not worrying about road cones."
CNA
a day ago
- Health
- CNA
Trial begins for Stars Engrg director, manager involved in 2021 Tuas explosion that killed three
SINGAPORE: The trial for the company behind an explosion at Tuas in 2021 that killed three workers and injured seven others opened in the State Courts on Tuesday (Jun 3). Stars Engrg, whose core business was the installation of fire protection systems, was the occupier of the premises at 32E Tuas Avenue 11, where the blast occurred on Feb 24, 2021. The company, its sole director Chua Xing Da and production manager Lwin Moe Tun are all contesting charges under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for safety lapses. Chua, a 41-year-old Singaporean, and Lwin Moe Tun, a 35-year-old Myanmar national, also face obstruction of justice charges relating to what they did after the accident. All three are represented by lawyer Chia Boon Teck, while Lwin Moe Tun is additionally represented by lawyer Foo Cheow Ming. An inquiry committee convened to look into the accident concluded in March 2022 that the explosion was mainly brought about by the company's failure to ensure the safe use of a mixer machine. Stars Engrg workers were preparing the machine to mix potato starch powder with heated water at their workshop in Tuas when the explosion happened. They were manufacturing 'fire clay' for use in an insulation wrap which goes around piping and ducting systems. The committee found that the initial rapture of an oil jacket resulted in the initial blast. This ignited potato starch powder that had accumulated in the air, causing subsequent flash fires. Court documents – agreed by both the prosecution and defence – set out the timeline of events leading to the explosion, including how employees had found the machine smoking and leaking on several occasions. Twelve days before the incident, a fire occurred at the machine and was put out by two employees. Another small fire occurred on the morning of the incident, hours before the explosion at 11.22am on Feb 24, 2021. The explosion was followed by three flash fires. The inferno was extinguished at 11.46am by the Singapore Civil Defence Force. PROSECUTION'S CASE Opening its case on Tuesday, the prosecution said that Chua bought the mixer machine in August 2019 from a company in China via the Alibaba online platform. The machine was installed on Jun 12, 2020. Stars Engrg and Chua used the mixer machine improperly and continued to use it despite "clear indications that it was unsafe to use", the prosecution said. "This created an environment of risk to the health and safety (of) every person at the worksite," Deputy Public Prosecutors Timotheus Koh, Grace Chua, Mohamed Riasudeen and Goh Qi Shuen said. They said that they will be leading evidence from Stars Engrg employees and experts to show that the company and Chua: Used insufficient thermic oil Operated the mixer machine as a "closed system" without pressure monitoring Failed to monitor the oil jacket temperature Continued using the mixer machine despite incidents that showed it was unsafe to use, and took inappropriate and insufficient steps to ensure that it was safe for continued use The company and Chua owed a duty of care to their employees but failed to ensure that they had adequate instruction, information, training and supervision to perform their work, the prosecution said. They also failed to ensure that safety measures were taken and failed to provide a safe environment for the employees. It added that Lwin Moe Tun negligently endangered the safety of Stars Engrg employees by allowing them to conduct repairs on the mixer machine's heater despite the risks involved. After the accident, Lwin Moe Tun allegedly asked Chua if he could delete a WhatsApp conversation between him and one of the deceased employees, Subbaiyan Marimuthu, on Feb 25, 2021. The conversation was eventually deleted. Both of them allegedly knew that deleting this communication could obstruct investigations into the incident, the prosecution said. VICTIMS AND INJURIES The three who died were employees working at the time of the incident. They are: Bangladeshi nationals Anisuzzaman Md, 29, Shohel Md, 23, and Indian national Subbaiyan Marimuthu, 38. Each sustained about 90 per cent or more total body surface area burns. Five other Stars Engrg employees - all Bangladeshi nationals - were hurt. They are Mr Ahmmed Lizon, Mr Hossain Jitu, Mr Mehedi, Mr Molla Md Yousuf, and Mr Rahad Asfaquzzaman. They sustained total body surface area burns of at least 35 per cent and have permanent disfiguration from their injuries. Another two men employed at a unit opposite the premises, Mr Miah Md Azam and Mr Zhao Jian Wang were also injured.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Brooke van Velden shifts WorkSafe's focus from enforcement to advice
Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government is shifting its work and safety regulator's priorities from enforcement to advice, saying this will help address concerns about underfunding and a "culture of fear". First steps include updating more than 50 guidance documents and launching the hotline - announced in March - for reporting excessive road cones . The restructure goes much deeper than that, though, with Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden issuing a new letter of expectations, rearranging the regulator's finances and redefining its main purpose in legislation. The government has cut $2.2 million from the agency's funding since 2023 - a 1.6 percent cut from $141.1m to $138.9m - with heightened inflation over that time further increasing costs. The government also set aside $7m for restructuring the regulator - paid for out of the Health and Safety at Work levy - this year's Budget confirming that "while WorkSafe progressed with its proposed restructure, this funding was not ultimately required". About 124 permanent roles have been cut since 2023 - from 724 to 600, a more than 17 percent trim - although a spokesperson said the agency was now approved for 675 staff and was recruiting for those roles, including new inspectors. Van Velden said she expected the regulator to review its enforcement and prosecution decision-making to focus on "clear breaches and causation", and being even handed. This would include "strengthening its approach to worker breaches of duty". "I've been hearing there is a real culture of fear of people around WorkSafe, and I want people to feel like if they ask for help they will get that help - and so for any business or any worker who wants to know what it is that they should be doing to keep their workers safe, they will know where to go." She denied that this could mean slowing down the rate of prosecutions, however. "No, prosecutions will still remain. I think it's important that we do have enforcement, but we do need to balance that correctly with the upfront guidance." The agency would now have a stronger focus on critical risk and providing consistent, practical advice and guidance for employers to comply with. Van Velden also set out expectations for greater use of codes of conduct. While WorkSafe would continue to work on these, industries would now be invited to draft their own for approval by the minister, making up the majority of new codes in future. "A culture where the regulator is feared for its punitive actions rather than appreciated for its ability to provide clear and consistent guidance is not conducive to positive outcomes in the workplace," she said. WorkSafe has been told to shift its focus from enforcement to advice. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver Her proposal taken to Cabinet said the changes would shift WorkSafe "from an enforcement agency to one that engages early and well to support businesses and individuals to manage their risks". "I want to see a shift from a regulator that has a safety at all cost mentality, to a regulator that focusses on helping duty-holders do what is proportionate to the risks, including rooting out over-compliance." To support this and "increase fiscal transparency", the regulator's finances would be split into four categories: WorkSafe's other functions identified in the law would become secondary, with Van Velden saying this would help it "articulate the cost and effectiveness of its activities". The moves were prompted in part by feedback from businesses, collected during a series of roadshow meetings in 11 towns and cities and over 1000 submissions provided in response to a discussion document consulted on over five months. "For too long, businesses and employers have asked for more guidance and help from WorkSafe on how to comply with health and safety legislation, only to be told it's not WorkSafe's job," van Velden said. "WorkSafe has started slashing outdated guidance documents from its website and will be updating guidance where necessary. Fifty documents have already been removed and more will follow. These documents were identified as being no longer relevant, nor reflecting current practice and technology, or containing content that is covered by other more up-to-date guidance." Her Cabinet paper stated the changes would also "help address concerns heard during the consultation that WorkSafe may be underfunded" by making clearer where its resouces were being spent. She confirmed the changes would not come with any new funding. "No, there won't be any new funding. I've heard from people who have suggested there does need to be new funding, and I disagree ... WorkSafe has been funded well, but it's very difficult to find where exactly that money is going within WorkSafe," she told RNZ. "It's been very clear over a number of reviews into WorkSafe over the years that they have not been structuring their appropriation correctly. They got into a very big deficit. They've now pulled themselves out of that deficit and are in surplus. But there are still many, many questions as to, where are they spending that money." WorkSafe says it's concentrating on the sectors where the most serious harm occurs - agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Her letter to the board set out an expectation the regulator would foster the use of Approved Codes of Practice. WorkSafe would need to provide advice to industries on how to develop and submit these for ministerial approval, while also conducting its own and starting new ones in industries "where there is no clear industry body representation". "While most future ACOPS will be industry-led, I still expect WorkSafe to develop ACOPs where appropriate." WorkSafe would also be expected to strengthen its oversight of other regulators, including "comprehensive monitoring of the third parties framework and addressing stakeholder concerns about inconsistent interpretations by third party certifiers". She expected cultural change to be reflected in its new statement of intent due out in October. Legislative change would be included in a Health and Safety at Work Reform Bill to be introduced later this year. In a statement, a WorkSafe spokesperson said it was working closely with the government on the changes. "We are well placed to deliver on the minister's expectations, via our new strategy and new leadership. WorkSafe is concentrating on the sectors where the most serious harm occurs - agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing - and on well-known causes of harm such as vehicles, machinery, working at height and harmful exposures. "Our Statement of Performance Expectations, due out in the coming weeks, will outline our strategic direction, budget, activities, and performance indicators for the 2025-26 year. Our most recent Impacts and Effectiveness Monitor report found 75 percent of businesses surveyed identified health and safety improvements due to their interactions with WorkSafe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NHK
3 days ago
- Business
- NHK
Japanese firms take steps to prevent heatstroke
Extremely hot summers are becoming more common in Japan, with temperatures sometimes rising to dangerous levels. Starting on Sunday, Japanese companies will be required to protect workers from intense heat. They will also need to make sure their staff are ready to deal with heatstroke emergencies. People working in the construction industry are at high risk of developing heatstroke. An air conditioner and ice water are available at a site in Tokyo to help employees cool themselves down. The workers know who to contact in an emergency. The firm has also compiled guidelines for these situations. The number of heatstroke casualties at Japanese workplaces in 2024 stood at 1,257, a record high. Thirty-one of those people died. An IT company in Tokyo has developed a system that focuses on body weight to help catch the early signs of heatstroke. Workers are required to weigh themselves a few times a day and to answer questions about their physical condition. The data is analyzed to assess the risk of heatstroke. Japan's health ministry says a person who loses more than 1.5 percent of their body weight, mainly through sweating, is at high risk. An expert says support for small businesses will be the key to ensuring preventive measures against heatstroke become more widespread. Toyo University Associate Professor Kitaoka Daisuke believes it is essential for the government to support small businesses through subsidies and other forms of assistance. Kitaoka says subsidies will help companies to purchase more equipment to tackle the problem of heatstroke.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nursing strike at Madison's UnityPoint Health-Meriter ends in tentative agreement
A four-day strike at Madison's UnityPoint Health-Meriter Hospital where hundreds of nurses have been asking for safer working conditions is ending in a tentative agreement between the hospital and SEIU Wisconsin, which represents 934 Meriter nurses, according to a May 31 announcement from the labor union. While the tentative agreement does not outline broad safety measures for staff across the board, it does consist of protections for some staff, an 8% raise over the next two years for all and new framework for staff to voice concerns, bargaining team member Amber Anderson said at the May 31 news conference outside the hospital. In particular, the bargaining team won commitments specific to staff and patients working in Child Adolescent Psychiatry and the Emergency Room, as well as commitment to a tip sheet for violent incidents, Anderson said. The bargaining team was not able to win actionable commitments from management that would more tangibly prevent workplace violence across the board, she said, particularly on staffing ratios. However, Anderson did say they obtained language that will be easier for nurses to collectively voice concerns on staffing and safety and work with management to find solutions. Union members will vote to ratify the agreement during the evening on May 31 and then return to work at the hospital by 7 a.m. June 1, which is when the strike had been scheduled to end. The strike — the first for Meriter nurses — began on May 27 grounded in frustrations over hospital management's lack of response to multiple requests for a safer work environment. Contract negotiations started in January. Since then, nurses had been asking for their contract to guarantee greater security measures at the hospital, including adding a metal detector and smaller staff-to-patient ratios in the hospital's medical-surgical units. They also sought increased pay for working nights and other less desirable shifts. Pat Raes, a Meriter nurse and president of SEIU Wisconsin, previously told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that there had been instances where patients and visitors brought guns into the facility without the knowledge of staff. Violence against health care workers has been on the rise, Raes said, and nurses sought action before a serious incident occurs, not after. Anderson said on May 31, "This victory is not just for the bargaining team. It belongs to all of us. To every single one of you who showed up, spoke out and stood strong, we thank you." Behind her stood over a dozen other hospital staff and supporters decked out in the union's signature color: purple. In her speech, Anderson thanked SEIU staff, UW nurses, workers at the Group Health Cooperative of South Central Wisconsin and community members and other local unions who donated time and resources. In a Facebook post on the agreement, the hospital issued the following statement: "We respect the union's process and look forward to the outcome of their decision. We believe this is a strong, fair contract that demonstrates the value and respect we have for the nurses on our team." 'We are grateful for the dedication and hard work of everyone involved in the negotiations. This tentative agreement represents meaningful progress toward a contract that recognizes the important contributions of our nurses," Market Chief Nursing Officer Sherry Casali said. The hospital in downtown Madison is part of UnityPoint Health, an Iowa-based health system with locations across southern Wisconsin. In 2017, the hospital entered into a joint operating agreement with UW Health, allowing patients to get care from both providers. UW Health is also no stranger to labor negotiations. The health system's nurses union was dissolved in 2014 as a result of Act 10, and nurses began the fight to restore it in 2019, including threatening a three-day strike in 2022 that ultimately did not occur. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is currently deciding whether UW Health is required to negotiate a collective bargaining contract with the union. The court heard oral arguments in the case in February. Madeline Heim contributed to this report. Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@ Follow her on X at @levensc13. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Nursing strike at UnityPoint Health-Meriter ends in tentative agreement
