"The climate is such that hazards can change overnight," says Bronwyn Muir, managing director of OnFarmSafety, which has just opened its head office on Broadway North in Stratford.
She is talking about the farming industry, and the importance of best practice when it comes to health and safety.
"Legislation is changing," says Bronwyn, adding that the Pike River tragedy has seen the Government take a closer look at health and safety in all industries.
Having identified the need for clear health and safety practices within the farming industry, Bronwyn has set up OnFarmSafety to offer farmers and farm workers guidance and support through the process of setting up and managing health and safety systems.
Bronwyn has worked as a shepherd and shearer as well as nowadays running 750 hectares of dairy, sheep and beef in the area with her husband. Bronwyn was also responsible for the establishment of the Taratahi Agricultural Training Centre in Taranaki. It is in this role, she says, that she saw the gap between what is taught, and what is actually done on the farm at times.
"We work with the whole team," she says, "because health and safety isn't just the boss's responsibility." That said, nor is it "something you can avoid responsibility for as a business owner". A key thing to bear in mind, Bronwyn says, is that if you own the business, then you are responsible for the safety of those who come on to your land.
Bronwyn is able to apply her years of hands-on, farm-based experience to the changes in legislation that she sees on the horizon. The business she has set up is based on what she describes as being "a desire to assist farmers in getting the best advice and specialised support in setting up health and safety practices that will grow and adapt with both the business and the law".
The company offers a range of services, from sales of safety equipment, through to health and safety audits on site.
Office manager Cushla Fevre says, "As well as going out on site, we are equipped to run training programmes here in the Stratford office as well."
Cushla and Bronwyn are happy to speak with anyone wanting to find out more about the help the business can offer farmers and farm workers. Although, adds Bronwyn, if the office is unattended, "it is because we have our gumboots on and are in a field somewhere".