Team Briefing Whiteboard Wins Safety Award For Northpower
The 2010 Electricity Engineers’ Association Workplace Safety Award was won by Whangarei based lines and electrical contracting company Northpower for their submission ‘Team briefing Whiteboard’.
Tailgate meetings are a key activity prior to commencing work and help staff identify and manage safety and work process issues. What impressed the judging panel was the way the Northpower white board tailgate activity encourages each member of the work party to make input into the hazard identification and work planning process. Once the board is completed each team member is required to tell the other team members the hazards around the task they are set and how they are going to mitigate them.
“Ensuring the safety and health of our workers is fundamental to our businesses, families and communities. Excellence in safety also enhances our business productivity,” says Bob Simpson, Electricity Engineers’ Association (EEA) President. “A key element in industry developing a strong culture of safety is to showcase and encourage safety excellence. This Award recognises outstanding achievement or significant contribution to our workplace health and safety.”
The Merit Award went to Christchurch company Orion NZ for their ‘An Audio Visual Guide for Safety with Underground Services’. The judges were impressed by the way that Orion adapted the Department of Labour publication “A Guide for Safety with Underground Services” into a visual learning format covering hazards identification and safe working practices when excavating around electricity and other utility services.
Five industry companies submitted Award applications:
- TransNet – Lightweight Eco Blocks for Poles
- Orion – Safety with Underground Service
- General Cable – Zero and beyond safety programme
- Tenix –Texas Lifting Rig
- Northpower – Team Briefing Whiteboard.
The judges commented that they were very impressed by the diversity and calibre of all of the entries and stated that all five companies have shown a strong and ongoing commitment to safety in their workplace and all were to be congratulated.
The ESI Safety Strategy 2020 launched by the EEA last year provided a common vision for safety work and a common shared coordinated direction to move industry safety performance to a higher level. The Workplace Safety Award was presented at the 2010 EEA ' Leadership and Innovation' annual conference held from 17-18 June in the Christchurch Convention Centre.
As well as a wide diversity of papers the conference had an extensive trade exhibition that showcased the technologies, equipment and services that are vital for a modern electricity supply system.
Over 600 delegates, visitors and exhibitors involved in the generation, transmission, distribution, retail and utilisation sectors of the New Zealand electricity supply industry attended this premier event.
For images of the Work Place Safety Award Presentation please click here
