A new organisation, which will take the lead in forestry safety, has been launched.
The Forestry Industry Safety Council (FICA) was established as a result of the recommendations made by the Independent Forestry Safety Review Panel last year. FICA will bring a coordinated approach to safety in forestry, and WorkSafe has said that they will make financial and personnel contributions to support this work.
A first step has been the creation of a new website, safetree.nz, which is an injury prevention programme for the forestry sector. The website provides resources geared towards different participants in the industry, from owners and managers, through to contractors, foremen, and crew. These resources will include codes of practice, best practice guidelines for various activities, and guidelines for various events, such as how to run a tailgate meeting.
FICA will also be holding risk management workshops and will be producing a newsletter, both of which can be registered for on the safetree website.
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