Celebrating Success
09 Jun 2017
From left Rob Foster, KCE chief executive, Matt van Rooyen, Metre Reader Manager, Sande Jansen, Business Support & Compliance Manager (centre) and Andrew Confait, Site Safe's Group Manager Customer Strategy and Support.
Congratulations to King Country Energy (KCE) for scooping the Site Safe-sponsored award for best small business health and safety initiative at the 2017 New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards.
This is the first year KCE has entered these awards, and chief executive Rob Foster said the win was an outstanding achievement for the team.
“It’s a true credit to the commitment our staff give to health and safety initiatives at KCE and will continue to give in order to keep everyone safe.
“We have five full time and five part-time meter readers who travel over 250,000km per year to 16,000 residential, commercial, and farming locations. Our meter readers face risks every day while out on the job.
“We have a responsibility to ensure we do everything within our power to minimise these risks. I’m very proud of the work the team has done with designing and implementing this health and safety initiative, and ensuring we are doing the best job possible.”
KCE’s winning health and safety initiative centred on keeping the company’s team of meter readers safe using a detailed, four-pronged safety approach.
KCE’s winning initiative involved identifying risks, developing a Hazard Risk Register specific to its meter readers and making changes to how new meter readers are inducted at KCE.
Site Safe’s Group Manager Customer Strategy and Support, Andrew Confait, presented the award to KCE on behalf of Site Safe.
“The bulk of our membership is made up of small and medium-sized businesses, so it’s great to see the work of companies like KCE being recognised.
“We believe it is the SMEs who have the power to create really significant change, the kind of change which is vital to keeping people safe. Initiatives like those we are here to celebrate tonight show us the great potential of creative thinking, collaboration and simply taking care of each other.”
A total of 15 awards were presented at Sky City event last week, where the achievements of a wide variety of successful health and safety initiatives was celebrated.
Convenor of judges Peter Bateman said all the winning initiatives displayed excellent thinking to tackle a wide range of different risks.
“Great initiatives seldom arise out of a focus on legal compliance. These winners contributed to operational excellence and made good businesses better, and in doing so significantly reduced the risk of harm to people.”
The 2017 winners were:
The WorkSafe New Zealand/ACC best overall contribution to improving workplace health and safety in New Zealand
Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter
Kensington Swan best initiative to address a work-related safety risk
ANZCO Foods
WorkSafe New Zealand best initiative to address a work-related health risk
Vector
Vitae best initiative to improve worker health
Methanex NZ
Blackwoods NZ Safety best initiative to encourage worker involvement in health & safety
KiwiRail
3M best use of New Zealand design/technology
Waratah NZ
Site Safe best health and safety initiative by a business of no more than 50 staff
King Country Energy
Impac best collaboration between PCBUs
PF Olsen Ltd
Simpson Grierson best board level engagement in health & safety
Department of Corrections
ACC best leadership of an industry sector or region
Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter
NZISM health and safety practitioner of the year
Sarah McDonald, M2PP Alliance
edenfx HSE Recruitment health & safety representative of the year
Brett Swanson, NZ Automobile Association
Business Leaders’ Health & Safety Forum leader of the year
Steven Carden, Landcorp Farming
Countdown Lifetime Achievement Award
Rob Jager, Shell Todd Oil Services
A Fonterra judges’ commendation award went to:
Rail and Maritime Transport Union