This is such a busy time of year for businesses with the end of the financial year, budget setting, planning etc. Chemsafety are ready for this new financial year and we have some awesome plans, including expanding our Wellington team and increasing our engagement with you all. We also have a new website in the works and we will be sharing that with you in May.
As you plan your coming year make sure you consider planning around management of health risks and hazardous substances. There is a definite move for businesses looking to be more active in auditing their hazardous substance management systems and in identifying their health hazards and Chemsafety can help with both of those key risk management items.
Stay safe and healthy.
Bridgette
HSNO Bulletin
Your Location Compliance Inspection may look a little different next time.
From 1 April 2022 new rules come in for compliance certifiers. Performance Standards are a mechanism in the regulations to help ensure consistency across compliance certifiers, and provide more details about how certifiers should undertake inspections, collect evidence, keep records and process certificates.
So while the regulations haven’t changed (well not since January at least! – see the below link to the recording of our recent webinar on those amendments) your certifier may be asking for information in a slightly different way, or be asking for some documentation that we haven’t requested before (or haven’t asked for some time).
Click here to watch the Understanding the H&S at Work (Haz Subs) Amendment Regulations 2021 Webinar
Changes to the separation distances for toxic and corrosive substances
You may be aware that some amendments to the Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Regulations came into force at the beginning of this year.
Many of these changes were purely editorial and involved correcting errors and updating standards to the latest versions. One of the more significant changes was with regard to the separation distances for toxic and corrosive substances (class 6.1A/B/C & 8.2A/B).
Our next Certified Handler Knowledge Training courses are on 19 May and 16 June 2022.
We are able to undertake Chemical Awareness and Certified Handler Training either face to face or via live interactive video conference call.
Our face to face training we will adhere to any COVID 19 requirements inline with the current traffic light system settings. Due to the close nature of our training sessions any training undertaken at the Chemsafety offices will require the use of face coverings, hand sanitiser and physical distancing. There will be a 4 person + trainer maximum in our meeting room.
We also have live interactive video conference call training options. The live video conference call enables you to ask questions and have discussions with the presenter and other attendees.
We are continuing to only permit Chemsafety employees in our offices unless by prior arrangement. If you do have an appointment or are attending training or fit testing you must wear a face covering.
When dropping in an asbestos sample for analysis to our Christchurch office, we have a dedicated non-contact area at the bottom of our stairs that is set up with bags and registration forms you can complete with all your details. Once complete there is a box where you can leave the sample. If you need any help ring the bell at the bottom of the stairs.
In our Wellington office the samples can be left in the collection box located at the top of the stairs instead of entering the office.
If the sample is urgent please let us know by emailing us at info@chemsafety.co.nz or you can Contact us if you have any burning questions now.
Upcoming Webinars
Workplace Noise Webinar
Join our Occupational Hygiene Team Leader and Senior Consultant Sam McGee as he introduces you to some of the noise control options available in the workplace including engineering controls and hearing conservation plans.
Join Senior Consultant Elizabeth Harwood for our free online webinar as she discusses hazardous substance signage. She will examine what the regulatory requirements are and discuss the other reasons why it's important to have good, accurate signage. She will also show examples of signs - the good and the not so good.
Towards the end of last year the long awaited Health and Safety at Work (Hazardous Substances) Amendment Regulations were released (they came into force on 4 January 2022). The amendments correct some errors in the regulations, and clarify means of compliance for existing locations that have not been able to fully meet the regulations as they stood.
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel to find out from our Senior Consultant Janet Connochie what these mean for you.
Human vibration is the effect of mechanical vibration on the body. Excessive exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) from using hand-held power tools may result in the onset of conditions such as white finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle joint damage in the hands and arms and sensory nerve damage. Excessive exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) from using poorly designed or maintained machinery and driving surfaces my result in health effects such as lower back pain, varicose veins and heart conditions, bone damage, reproductive system damage, motion sickness and impaired vision and / or balance.
Watch the recording on our YouTube channel and hear from our Wellington Occupational Hygienist Christine de Klerk who will give an overview of both hand-arm vibration (HAV) and whole-body vibration (WBV).
The HASANZ CONFERENCE 2022 will now be held from 16 - 18 November 2022 at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, Wellington.
HASANZ CONFERENCE 2022 is the flagship conference for workplace health and safety professionals in New Zealand, organised by the industry for the industry. It also has wide appeal to every business with an interest in health and safety and attracts sector influencers, educators, regulators and decision makers.
We regularly post articles on topics that we think our clients would be interested in, including links to our upcoming webinars, important Regulation updates as well as the occasional team social outing picture.
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