Latest News

Welcome to the Latest News page which we update on a regular basis. Here we provide you with the latest news, advice and articles about our services, so feel free to browse through the information we provide here and be sure to check back as you please.

• Heat and Sun Safety

  We hope you had a great break over the Xmas and New Year. Unfortunately for those who of us who had outdoor activities planned the weather was not the best. So now we are back at work and the true Northland summer is here so we need to talk and think about Heat and Sun Safety.

  One of the dangers of working outdoors or in a hot environment is Heat Stress. This occurs when your body is not sweating adequately, you are in poor physical condition, you are not acclimatised to the heat, you are dressed inappropriately or you have not replaced fluids.

  Symptoms can include:

  • Fatigue
  • Loss of concentration/disorientation
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Muscle Cramps
  • In severe cases heatstroke (which can be life threatening) Always seek medical attention if you suspect heat exhaustion or heat stroke

  In the workplace Heat Stress can lead to:

  • Inefficiency and absenteeism
  • Reduced work capacity and therefore lower productivity
  • Low concentration and high fatigue
  • Increased chance of personal injury
  • Increased incidence of damage to equipment

  So how do we keep Cool?

  • Allow 7-10 days to acclimatize to working in heat again
  • Take frequent breaks and avoid heavy lifting
  • Drink fluids every 15-20 minutes – up to 1 litre an hour if doing heavy physical work (water and diluted juices are best)
  • Work in the shade if possible especially in the middle of the day
  • Schedule your heavy work for either early or late in the day
  • Wear loose cotton clothing

  The other hazard of working outdoors is the danger of prolonged Sun Exposure which can lead to skin cancer. Most skin cancers happen on the hands, arms, head, neck and shoulders i.e. those parts most exposed to the sun. Sunscreen is not enough to give you total protection from the sun.

  Other precautions you can take to protect yourself from the sun include:

  • Wearing proper outdoor work clothes including long sleeves and a collar. The fabric should have a close weave. Cover up on cloudy days too.
  • Protect your head and face with a wide brimmed hat
  • Protect your eyes with sunglasses
  • If possible rotate or change work times so you are not outside at the hottest times of the day

  Consider this:

  The best drink in hot weather is plain cool water. The worst thing you can drink in hot weather is Whiskey!!

• All employers please ensure you carefully check your ACC levy invoice.

  A new system has been introduced called 'experience rating'. ACC look at your work injury claims and depending on the amount of money spent and lost work time, you will either receive a discount or a penalty. It is therefore very important that the information about your work injury claims is correct.

  Good injury prevention processes, injury reporting procedures and proactive rehabilitation for injured workers can make a significant impact on your business and makes good financial sense.

  If you have any queries about your ACC levy invoice or your injury management practices please do not hesitate to call Mary Cook on 4388324. There is no charge for an initial discussion.

• We have good news for Northland – our economy is on the up!

  This month has seen an increase in pre-employment medical assessments across a number of industry groups. With companies starting to employ again it is timely to explain why a pre-employment medical assessment should be as much a part of the recruitment process as interviewing and doing reference checks. As we all know – what we see is not always what we get.

  It is important to establish if the person you are employing is fit to complete all the tasks of the job or if they have some restriction which will need to be taken into account. Our standard pre-employment medical includes drug testing, hearing, vision, lung function, medical history and range of movement. On completion of the assessment a report is provided giving a recommendation regarding their suitability for the proposed job. Some jobs will not require all the testing components and this would be discussed at the time of booking. It is however very important that this process is undertaken PRIOR to commencement of employment.