East Coast women stepping up in forestry health and safety

A cohort of 12 women in forestry in the region have so far qualified in Level 3 on health and safety, with 10 of them about to qualify Level 4. Courses like these have produced "significant changes in forestry safety" Competenz training adviser Stephen Jones said. Photo / Paul Rickard

A dozen Tairawhiti women have so far completed a Level 3 health and safety programme for work in the region’s forests, and this month 10 of them will step up further to Level 4.

Eastland Wood Council (EWC) funded a cohort of women in forestry to upskill and complete NZ health and safety qualifications.

“Their achievements highlight the crucial role women play in improving safety standards in this high-risk sector,” a forestry spokeswoman said.

Among those qualified women is Tania Gibb, who co-owns Rā Whakapono Logging in Gisborne.

“Forestry health and safety can be a scary thing if you don’t do it right,” Gibb said.

“If we were looking for a reason not to have started our business two years ago, health and safety compliance would have been it.”

Tania Gibb, co-owner of Ra Whakapono Logging in Gisborne, is committed to rolling out the company's health and safety processes.

Gibb is thankful that she and husband Irvin (Smurf) forged ahead with starting their Gisborne contracting business in 2022.

While the couple committed to rolling out best practices for Rā Whakapono’s health and safety processes, Tania went a step further in her learning and graduated with a New Zealand Certificate in Workplace Health and Safety Practice Level 3 this month.

Her training was funded by EWC after the council joined forces with WorkSafe, Competenz and various industry stakeholders.

The aim was to create a course aimed at empowering women working in the region’s forestry industry to enhance the safety standards in their organisations.

Jessie Bourke - EWC’s health, safety and training committee chair and the acting head of the Women in Tairāwhiti Forestry group - said the collective commitment of the group stakeholders to launch the course highlighted the industry’s commitment to fostering inclusivity, professional development and a culture of safety.

“By giving so many women the opportunity to attend, we have instantly driven up the health, safety and wellbeing knowledge within small businesses in our community, arguably the most high-risk industry here on the East Coast,” Bourke said.

“That has to be a win for women and for our communities.

“There was an enormous response to the EWC’s call for applications, and every spot was filled, with a wait list at hand.

“These courses have not been run in Tairāwhiti for several years so it has been great to offer them and know that the cost burden to small businesses would be alleviated through the funding,” she said.

The courses have been staged and flexible to work around the demands of running a small business.

“If more courses could be offered in a variety of different manners, this goes a long way to break down the access barriers for women,” Bourke said.

“Spending several thousand dollars for one person to attend is a lot to ask of small businesses hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions, cyclones, and the general downturn in the log market.”

Gibb agrees that the programme has far-reaching impacts for other women working in forestry.

“Women are underutilised in forestry. I was already running the health and safety in our business - if a little blindly. I know there are other forestry businesses in the same boat - female employees and co-owners who are also the health and safety reps - who can fill this gap in their business.

“More women could be empowered and recruited into these programmes,” Gibb said.

“Health and safety training opens the door for women in forestry. Some may prefer to work hours that are suited to family life - not getting up at 4am when the crews start - and for me, the programme has allowed me to do my bit for our family business, as I can’t drive the machines.”

Gibb believes crew behaviour changes for the better when there is a female influence in the team.

“This applies from management to the forest.”

She has seen a welcome shift in how health and safety is perceived in the industry.

“Over the last five years, operating sustainably and prioritising health and safety have played equal parts in our decision-making and how other contractors run their businesses.

“Before we started our business two years ago, we could see contractors accepting jobs without a full understanding of the health and safety risks involved with them.

“Now people are more open to talking about what is working, what possibly needs improving and how to put in place the necessary building blocks that will provide a safer working environment.

“The sector is bringing in experts with the right knowledge to change how we do things.

“There is a transformation happening and the industry’s improved safety data reflects this.”

Competenz training adviser Steven Jones organised the courses and has witnessed significant changes in forestry safety.

“As a former forestry contractor for 30 years and a trainer and assessor for 10, I have seen a changing shift away from an outdated acceptance that workplace accidents are the nature of the job to the whole industry opening their eyes to the health and safety risks being too big without it,” he said.

“The women completing the course have their eyes open to understanding the entire health and safety process - from preparing their teams to be aware of their surroundings to not having laces on their boots to doing the paperwork if an incident investigation is required.”

Jones says the professional development programme equips women for career advancement, while positioning them as valuable contributors to the industry.

“They are gaining the tools to improve safety in their workplaces and long term, they can move from one organisation to another, carrying over what they have learnt while lifting the health and safety standards in a new work environment.”