FROM THE BEEHIVE: Workplace safety must be paramount

Iain Lees-Galloway. Photo: SUPPLIED

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday period and special thanks to those who worked through the summer break, helping keep everything ticking along. Please make sure you get time to recharge too.

It's the time of year to look forward and set a few goals and I too have things I'd like to achieve in 2018.

They can be summed up like this: encourage good jobs, decent work conditions and fair wages for Kiwi workers, make sure our businesses get the skilled workers they need to thrive, and ensure fairness and sustainability for ACC.

My portfolios of Workplace Relations and Safety, Immigration and ACC are people-focused portfolios; my priority will remain focused on lifting the wellbeing of our people.

We must start the year the way we intend to finish it — in one piece — so workplace safety must be of paramount concern to all workers, workplaces and management.

This week I've visited forestry sites in Marlborough to see how they're promoting better workplace safety practices. This is essential for an industry that has lost more than 33 workers in work place incidents since 2011.

Forestry is taking the opportunity to lead better practices and the key to this is better communication between management and staff, and fostering a workplace environment where everyone can feel safe to speak up if they spot danger.

This is as relevant to an office on Main St or a shop near The Square, as it is to a heavy manufacturing industry. Increasing safety in workplace must be our top priority.

It's not acceptable for workplaces to shirk their responsibility to provide safe conditions but, equally, workers must speak out and report unsafe conditions to their employers.

Although the final figures are yet to come in, there were around 50 deaths from workplace incidents last year. It's clear we can, and must, do better.

The Government, workers, and businesses all must play a part in making sure our workplaces are safe.

So, let's all make a safe start to 2018 — and let's keep it that way.