Whanganui business breaks down the 'she'll be right' culture

Harcus Safety Solutions owner, David Harcus, is kicking his business off in Whanganui. PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO

Changing the negative stigma around safety in the workplace is the mission set out by David Harcus.

The Otago born father of two started Harcus Safety Solutions in Whanagnui 20 months ago but due to personal health he was forced to put business on hold. Now he's back in action.

Mr Harcus said his career in safety sparked after an incident on a construction site he was working on in Western Australia.

"About 100 metres away from where I was working a guy died. He feel through gridmesh grating on a walkway.

"What happened to him wasn't his fault, it was the lack of risk assessment and because of it a family lost a husband and father. I couldn't help but think imagine if that was my family," Mr Harcus said.

Prior to moving to Whanagnui with his family, Mr Harcus was a health and safety advisor in Western Australia for a construction company called Keller. Before that he worked in a number of construction and farming related jobs in Australia, Scotland and New Zealand.

The business operates privately to help companies understand their roles and responsibilities.

"A lot of businesses I've worked with have a big folder of documents outlining 'hazard management and risk assessment' but I'll ask what it means and they have no idea,

"I'm not there to smack people over the hand, I'm there to help for their benefit."

Mr Harcus said New Zealand was still way behind in enforcing health and safety in the work force and the 'she'll be right' notion was hurdle.

"There's always some resistance but once people start to see the benefits the culture begins to change.

"I remember working in a construction company and it became compulsory to wear safety harness while working EWP (elevated work platforms) and everyone kicked up a huge fuss but within a two months it was routine."