Seminars help make workplaces safer

Health and safety is the hot topic of the moment.

"How do the legislative changes affect me and business?" This is the question we're frequently asked at Primary ITO. People are also uncertain about what is actually needed to ensure their business is safe and compliant.

Many information seminars will help to answer these questions but then what do you do? How do you begin to develop your plan, or where do you start reviewing your current plan and checking that it's still fit for purpose?

Primary ITO has developed a new workshop, Managing Health & Safety, which will help you overcome these initial barriers, and get you on the road to developing a safer business.

Firstly, you'll need to bring your existing health and safety plan with you. Then, the hands-on session will help you identify what you already have that meets requirements, what you already do that is good practice and should continue doing, and the gaps and how to fill them.

There'll be an interactive discussion session on the recent changes to the health and safety legislation and what they actually mean for your business. You'll also have time to talk to other business owners and managers about the problems they've faced and techniques they've used to overcome them. Most importantly, you'll begin to develop your plan. At the end of the workshop, you'll know what you need to do next and how you are going to do it. Information is useful, but knowing what to do with it once you get back to your business is absolutely key.

"The workshop helped to remove the fears we have around the health and safety requirements for our business," Lina Castles from Dannevirke Carriers says. "It was also great to meet other business owners and share ideas about the situations we face, and how we can manage them. It's the realisation that this is good for our business, and good for our staff and families."

Linda Stewart from Primary ITO says the workshop will provide straightforward information that is relevant to each individual business: "It's not just a series of templates, it's a system that is used every day by everyone in the business."

* If you're interested in enrolling in Primary ITO's new Managing Health & Safety workshop, visit primaryito.ac.nz/shortcourses, or call 0800 273 337.

* Further supporting health and safety upskilling, Primary ITO is now able to access discounted nationwide first aid courses via Red Cross. Bookings can be made at redcross.org.nz/corporate-bookings/primary-ito, or by phoning 0800 RED CROSS.