Remote access boon for safety company

PRO-ACTIVE: The team at Gisborne's ThinkSafe health and safety company are handling calls from clients around New Zealand. From left are Rhonda McKnight, Bob Back, Michelle Knight, Kelly Ryan, Sally Dalrymple, Sophie Burns, Andrew Burns. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

A web-based health and safety company in Gisborne has become “very busy” since Covid-19 was announced as a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

ThinkSafe owners Andrew and Sophie Burns say their business has no need for face-to-face meetings, with all responses to concerned clients able to be done remotely.

“We have realised this is going to be an important thing,” said Mrs Burns.

The company has created a new Infectious Disease Policy about the risks associated with the virus.

“Our business is all about managing risk,” Mrs Burns said. “When you start talking about washing hands and staying two metres away from people, that's a health and safety issue.

“Some of our clients want to know how they are going to monitor the health of their workers and what their obligations are as an employer.”

The couple are well aware of the restrictions coming up for New Zealand.

Mr Burns does contract work in Papua New Guinea, where he is now. Mrs Burns is French, and in frequent contact with her 74-year-old father in France and with her sister in Madrid.

Mr Burns flies home to Gisborne tomorrow because he is concerned the New Zealand borders could close soon. He will start 14 days of self-isolation, and working from home will not be a problem.

ThinkSafe has been web-based from the start, when the couple established their business in 2016. Remote response systems mean clients all over New Zealand can access the company from wherever they are based.

Mrs Burns said it was a huge plus.

“We have no need for face to face, We do zoom calls with our clients.”

(Zoom is an app which offers remote conferencing services that combines video conferencing, online meetings, chat, and mobile collaboration.)

“Our business is all cloud-based and our members can manage their health and safety remotely with no paperwork. Everything is online and interactive.”

Every day the couple monitor the Government's dedicated Covid-19 website, and advise clients about any changes.

ThinkSafe's Infectious Diseases policy ensures that each client meets their legal responsibility to provide a safe and healthy work environment for their workers, contractors and visitors.

“All persons on-site should practice good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or an elbow, washing hands for at least 20 seconds with water and soap and drying them thoroughly before eating or handling food, after using the toilet, after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.”

Through the experiences of her father and sister Mrs Burns has seen the tight measures already in place on the other side of the world.

She checks in with French radio each morning.

Her sister in Madrid is a teacher, and now working from home online. Home for the family of four is a 50sqm apartment, with no balcony or garden.

“We are very lucky in New Zealand, we have gardens,” Mrs Burns said.

Her sister is 100 percent sure they have all had Covid-19 but in Madrid, testing for the virus has stopped.

“They are only allowed to go out one person at time and only to a grocery shop or pharmacy. It has been six days and they are not sure how they are going to cope.”

In France, her father has to print a piece of paper off the internet if he wants to go to the supermarket. Anyone caught outside without this piece of paper detailing reasons to be out and about will be fined 135 euros.

On Wednesday, French police fined 4000 people, Mrs Burns said.