Forestry Sector Action Plan 2010-13
3. Forestry Sector Initiatives for 2010-2013
The following initiatives will contribute to reducing the forestry work toll.
A number of these initiatives are underway, having been developed within the NZFOA's Strategic Safety Plan. New initiatives to support our future tree felling and breaking out focus will also be developed.
Growing Safety Leadership
Building national sector engagement
This initiative aims to establish strong and effective working relationships between key forestry sector stakeholders. Engagement will focus on: reducing breaking out and tree felling injuries and fatalities; using forestry networks; and promoting safe work design. The Department will identify how to engage on health and safety with:
- New Zealand Forest Owners Association's Health, Safety and Training Committee
- Forest Industries Training and Education Council (FITEC)
- Forest Industry Contractors Association (FICA)
- NZ Farm Forestry Association (NZFFA)
- Future Forests Research (FFR)
- Business Leaders' Health and Safety Forum
- Unions and health and safety representatives
- Health and safety professional organisations
- Relevant employer / trade associations
- Training organisations
- Other government agencies
- Pacific people's representatives
- Maori businesses and iwi leaders
- Employers
- Employees and employee organisations
- Forestry workers.
This initiative will:
- identify forestry sector stakeholders by June 2011 - DoL
- develop a stakeholder map and relationship management plan by December 2011 -DoL
- build strong and effective working relationships with key forestry sector stakeholders by December 2013 - DoL
- secure key sector stakeholders' commitment to reducing the work toll via the Partners in Action Pledge by December 2012 - DoL and Sector stakeholders[7]
- promote the Partners in Action Pledge to members by December 2012 - Sector stakeholders.
Promoting the Partners in Action Pledge (the Pledge)
The purpose of the Pledge is to promote and seek forestry stakeholder commitment to work toward zero harm and to acknowledge the key role stakeholders play in reducing the forestry work toll.
This initiative will:
- establish the Pledge on the Department's website by June 2011 - DoL
- secure key sector stakeholders' commitment to the Pledge by December 2012 - DoL
- see stakeholders put a link to the Pledge on their respective websites by December 2013 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- promote the Pledge to the sector via the forestry networks by December 2012 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- publish good safety leadership case studies annually that will be accessible via the Department website from December 2012 - DoL and FOA.
Carrying out Forest Owners Association's Strategic Safety Plan 2009-2011
The safety plan has three project areas:
- Safety culture and leadership
- Rationalisation and clarification of work standards (simplification) and
- Fair and clear enforcement of approved codes of practice and guidance.
By December 2011 the outcomes / outputs of this strategic plan will:
- develop a safety culture and coaching resource - FOA
- deliver breaking out behavioural standards - FOA
- improve access to best practice guides that include approved code of practice requirements - FOA
- provide guidance and examples to ensure contractors, forest owners and workers have a clear understanding of health and safety enforcement options and consequences - FOA
- explore recognition options, so that forestry businesses with a high level of health and safety compliance are rewarded through government agency programmes - ACC.
Developing Capability
Delivering effective training for tree felling and breaking out
FITEC will work with key forestry sector stakeholders, including New Zealand Qualification Agency (NZQA), to increase the availability and uptake of recognised training and education. The aim is to improve health and safety practises relating to the tasks of tree felling and breaking out. The initiative will also consider how to include businesses not aligned with sector organisations so they are aware of and can participate in training and education.
This initiative will:
- increase registrations for forestry related health and safety training through FITEC to between 4500 and 5000 per annum by December 2013 - FITEC
- review relevant unit standards to ensure compliance by December 2011 - FITEC.
Trialling a breaking out certification process
ACC and Nelson Forests Ltd is trialling a breaking out certification process with Nelson Forests, Blakely Pacific and PF Olsen crews. The trial will be testing a tool developed to measure compliance with approved codes of practice and training achievement.
This initiative will:
- provide data and learning to inform future initiatives by December 2012 - ACC and Nelson Forests Limited
- promote 100 percent of crews involved in the trial to be compliant with the approved codes of practice and other guidance material by December 2012 - Nelson Forests Limited.
Providing accessible information for small businesses
The aim is for small businesses in forestry to become better enabled to manage their health and safety risks. For example, that they are aware of the key actions they need to take, they know where to access advice and they are able to comply with their health and safety obligations even if they are not formally aligned with sector organisations.
This initiative will:
- update the Department's website with reviewed and updated forestry guidance by December 2011 - DoL
- promote the updated guidance through key forestry sector stakeholders by December 2012 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- collaborate with the forestry sector to create tools and resources, e.g. a forestry Infozone web tool, fact sheets and case studies, by December 2013 - DoL and FOA.
Building Knowledge
Establishing clear safety standards for safe tree felling and breaking out
This initiative aims to continually review and improve the content of health and safety standards, guidance, tools and information so that accurate and understandable guidance is readily available and accessible to businesses and workers in the forestry sector.
This initiative will:
- build strong and effective working relationships with key forestry sector stakeholders best placed to participate in developing and promoting guidance to the sector by December 2013 - DoL
- review and publish forestry guidance by December 2011 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- provide the sector with a clear understanding of enforcement options and consequences by December 2011 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- align FITEC and other training and guidance materials to ensure they are current and consistent with sector standards by December 2011 - FITEC and associated sector stakeholders.
Sharpening our data collection and dissemination
This project seeks to expand and integrate data sources to improve the quality of forestry data and to enable forestry stakeholders to adjust and better target intervention strategies. This will provide the opportunity to analyse the specific problems and trends within the forestry sector.
This initiative will:
- build strong and effective working relationships with key forestry sector stakeholders to improve the quality of forestry data and inform future interventions by December 2013 - DoL and FOA
- develop information about health and safety in the forestry sector including summaries of fatal and serious harm injuries as a result of tree felling and breaking out annually from December 2011 - DoL and FOA
- publish health and safety statistics for the forestry sector annually from December 2012 - DoL and FOA.
Reviewing Incident Reporting Information System (IRIS)
In 2005, the NZFOA launched IRIS. The objectives of IRIS are to facilitate injury prevention analysis, to promote safety improvement initiatives and monitor their effectiveness in terms of incident rates. IRIS also allows the industry and individual companies to confidentially, quickly and effectively benchmark their health and safety performance against industry averages and other sectors. This information has been successfully used to refine and reinforce safe work practices in the industry.
This initiative will:
- review IRIS accident data to identify annual comparisons by activity, operation and task to enable identification of annual trends annually by December 2013 - FOA
- disseminate the analysis using forestry networks annually by December 2013 - FOA.
Supporting a Robust Health and Safety System
Delivering effective and efficient interventions
This initiative aims to stimulate a reduction in injuries across all activities, including tree felling and breaking out. Interventions will include:
- Safe Start breakfasts
- 'Growing our Safety Culture' assessments
- the breaking out certification process
- health monitoring and audits
- the Department's education and enforcement programme for tree felling and breaking out.
This initiative will:
- build strong and effective working relationships with key forestry sector stakeholders best placed to participate in developing and promoting safe tree felling and breaking out practice by December 2013 - DoL, ACC and Sector stakeholders
- develop a framework to research, evaluate and monitor safe tree felling and breaking out by December 2012 - DoL and FOA
- deliver the first phase of a harm reduction project focusing on tree felling and breaking out by December 2012 - DoL
- review harm reduction project data to determine the interventions for phase two by December 2012 - DoL
- deliver the second phase of the harm reduction project focusing on tree felling and breaking out by December 2013 - DoL
- review the data from both phases of the harm reduction project to inform future interventions by December 2013 - DoL
- monitor employee health and conduct health and safety audits annually by December 2013 - Sector stakeholders
- use results from monitoring and audits to inform future interventions by December 2013 - Sector stakeholders.
Delivering the Department of Labour's education and enforcement programme for tree felling and breaking out
The Department's aim is to reduce the injury and fatality rates relating to the tasks of tree felling and breaking out. A steering group has been established to focus specifically on best practice safe health and safety processes and procedures for the tasks of tree felling and breaking out.
This initiative will:
- build strong and effective working relationships with key forestry sector stakeholders best placed to participate in the development and promotion of safe tree felling and breaking out practice by December 2013 - DoL
- conduct face to face interactions with at least 100 forestry operators and their employees to identify areas of improvement, assist in establishing best practice, and provide information and best practice guidance by December 2012 - DoL
- deliver the second phase of the harm reduction project focusing on tree felling and breaking out by December 2013 - DoL
- review the data from both phases of the harm reduction project to inform future interventions by December 2013 - DoL.
Review and update approved code of practice (ACoP), best practice guide (BPG) and standards
These projects aim to review and update key guidance and codes of practice for the forestry sector. As part of these projects the approved codes of practice for forestry operations (which now includes rivers and heli-logging) and tree work and arboriculture are being reviewed and edited in conjunction with key sector stakeholders. The approved codes of practice and the best practice guide will be consistent.
This initiative will:
- review and update key forestry guidance and codes by December 2011 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- promote the guidance and codes to ensure forestry businesses and workers have access to the guidance by December 2011 - DoL and Sector stakeholders
- promote the guidance and codes to ensure forestry businesses and workers understand their obligations and enforcement consequences by December 2013 - DoL and Sector stakeholders.
