Mitre 10 In Trade Magazine - February 2015

FEBRUARY 2015 WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT FOR MITRE 10 STALWART HEALTH & SAFETY REFORM ON THE WAY CONFINED SPACES POSE MAJOR DANGER SCAFFOLDING BEST PRACTICE

SEE INSIDE FOR CHANCES TO WIN GREAT PRODUCTS Offers open to account holders only Call 0800 M10 TRADE to find out more All prices and offers in this publication are valid from Sunday February 1 – Saturday February 28 2015 from participating stores.

FOREWORD Trade stalwart will be missed Part of my role as the General Manager of Mitre 10 Trade means ensuring that our business has the best staff delivering the best advice, products and service to our customers in order to maintain our strong relationships with them.

Since I’ve been in the role, I’ve made sure we’ve worked hard to continually improve in this area, and I think we’ve done it remarkably well.

However, this is something that only works with the input and buy-in of Trade store staff around New Zealand, and I’ve been fortunate enough to have great support from all of them.

However, like in all roles, sometimes the stalwarts need to move on, which can be sad in some ways, yet leave the opportunity for others to rise to the challenge.

This month, it’s with regret, yet best wishes, that I farewell Mitre 10 Waihi’s Graham Walker from the Mitre 10 family.

When Graham leaves his office on February 20th to embark on a wellearned retirement, he will have been with the Waihi store 30 years – to the day.

During that time, he has forged incredibly strong links with his local community, builders from around the area, store staff and staff at Mitre 10 Support Centre, as well as being instrumental in establishing some of the training systems we have in place throughout New Zealand as part of Mitre 10 Trade.

One of our company’s true characters, gentlemen and leaders, Graham will be sorely missed, but his extra time at home will no doubt be welcomed by his wife Heather.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank both Graham and Heather for their years of service to Mitre 10, its trade customers and the building industry and I wish them both all the best in Graham’s retirement.

We look back at Graham’s career, starting on page 2.

Andrew Cochrane, General Manager Trade Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Ltd

CONTENTS 2

FEATURE

Feature – Waihi stalwart retires

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SUPPLIER PROFILE

Drymix New Zealand Ltd

30 years – to the day – after he started with Mitre 10 Waihi, Graham Walker will walk out the front door for the last time as an employee and start a well-earned retirement.

Back in 1990, Gordon Crossan took his first leap into launching what would later become New Zealand’s most successful drymix concrete business. Now, Drymix New Zealand is one of Mitre 10’s major Trade suppliers and a leader in its field.

Cover: After 30 years, Mitre 10 Waihi’s Graham Walker is heading off to enjoy his retirement.

Volume 8, Issue 8 February 2015

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LEGAL – MEREDITH CONNELL

Health & Safety reform

Mitre 10 In Trade magazine is published 12 times a year in association with Mitre 10.

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New Zealand is undergoing a major health and safety reform. The reform will introduce increased obligations on organisations, directors, and workers, enforceable with higher penalties for non-compliance. Meredith Connell’s Sam Moore takes a closer at what it could mean for you.

SAFETY – SITE SAFE NZ

Confined Spaces

Scott Wilson Phone: 021 725 061 Email: editor@M10magazine.co.nz

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HEALTH AND SAFETY

AROUND THE STORES

A confined space is a very dangerous working environment.

And, if things go wrong and a worker needs to be rescued, the rescuers themselves will be in a lot of danger with serious risks to manage.

WorkSafe NZ

WorkSafe NZ takes a look at one of the issues relating the New Zealand building sites - hydration. If you don’t keep wellhydrated on site, it can affect performance, as well as have safety implications.

News from Mitre 10 stores around the country.

Managing Editor

Contributors Adrienne Jervis

Sam Moore – Meredith Connell BRANZ Site Safe NZ Georgie Young WorkSafe New Zealand

Printer

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BRANZ

APPRENTICE

THE BACK PAGE

Scaffolding Best Practice

Any work at height carries a risk of falling. When construction work cannot be carried out on the ground or a finished floor level, regulation 22 of the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations requires that scaffold must be provided where work can’t be safely done without it.

Rather than being caught short, Apprentice Georgie Young chose to do something she’d rather not – with embarrassing, but highly entertaining results.

Around the Stores Stuff to win, points to earn.

Don’t miss the back page.

Nicholson Print Solutions

Enquiries

ReFocus Media Ltd P O Box 21081 Flagstaff Hamilton 3256 Email: Info@refocusmedia.co.nz Refocus Media Ltd reserves the right to accept or reject all editorial or advertising material. No part of In Trade magazine may be published without the express permission of the publisher.

All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in In Trade magazine are not necessarily those of Mitre 10 or the publisher. No responsibility is accepted for the suggestions of the contributors or conclusions that may be drawn from them. Although the publisher has made every effort to ensure accuracy, the reader remains responsible for the correct use and selection of any tools, materials and systems followed, as well as the following of any laws or codes that may apply.

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TRADE Waihi’s Mr Mitre 10 ends long career When the Bold family bought Waihi’s Mitre 10 Home & Trade store in 1993 they inherited Mr Mitre 10 himself, Graham Walker. An institution in the Mitre 10 world, as well as the township, Graham has a 30 year history with the store.

“He was the General Manager when we took over and remained in that position leading the team,” says Nicky Bold, whose family owns Waihi Mitre 10 and Mitre 10 MEGA Tauranga.

Mitre 10 bids farewell to one of its most colourful and committed employees. Graham is retiring. His decision to retire was motivated by a desire to spend more time with his wife of 45 years, Heather.

Nicky says Graham will be a loss to the store.

“His product knowledge is immense and his strong personal relationships within the industry shows what a true asset he has been to the company.”

Graham, a former plumber, has always led by example and taken a very hands approach to his role. He’s never asked his staff to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. Long time customer Graeme (Noddy) McCabe of Baker Construction Ltd, Waihi, says he’s stuck with Mitre 10 for 20 years because Graham has always looked after him. It’s the personal touch that has made the difference.

“We have had other suppliers chasing us for business but we’ve remained loyal to Mitre 10. They’ve never let us down.

It’s been a great company to work with and hopefully it continues.”

Graham came into the building supplies industry by default.

After shifting from Wellington to Waihi, he built a new home. Over the course of the 10 month project he became involved with the local building supplies store to the point where they invited him to join the business. Graham saw huge opportunities to grow the business and develop its networks. The Waihi store is now a multi-million dollar business with a well established trade base, drawing clients from Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

Paeroa builder, Murray Pennell of Murray Pennell Builders, chooses to bypass his local supplier and deal with Waihi Mitre 10, some 15-20 minutes away.

“Service is the big thing,” says Murray, who has traded solely 2

with the store for 12 years and hasn’t bothered to seek prices from other suppliers. He’s enjoyed a good working relationship with Graham, found him easy to talk to, and liked that way he dealt efficiently with any problems.

“Graham has a good team behind him and I believe things will continue to run smoothly.”

Morrinsville builder, Kelvin Lalich of Kelvin Lalich Builders Ltd, knew Graham back in early days before the business became a Mitre 10 store. Kelvin was driving trucks then, delivering timber to the yard. When he returned to his building trade 25 years ago, Mitre 10 immediately became his supplier.

TRADE “I’ve always used Graham as my merchant. We’ve had an awesome relationship, and it will continue.”

Under Graham’s management Waihi Mitre 10 has become a big player in the industry, winning national awards against big names in the trade.

“I believe Ted Bold shared my vision to see Mitre 10 Waihi achieve the best Mitre 10 Trade Store in the country.

Unfortunately, this was achieved six months after Ted’s passing in 2013,” says Graham.

In his 30 years of service Graham has seen Mitre 10 grow from a hardware store to a building supplies and timber merchant. The next developmental stage was the redefining of Mitre 10 outlets into hardware stores, with some of the larger stores becoming Home and Trade. The culmination was seeing Mitre 10 realise the huge potential that trade has to offer in the large format Mitre 10 MEGA stores and the growth level it enjoys today.

“I’ve witnessed growth in our Waihi store. It’s gone from a small building supplies and timber merchant, with a small production unit and hardware store, to a larger format Home and Trade Store, to the large retail store and drive thru we have today, with an efficient production unit to complement our offer into the community.”

In this time Graham has developed lots of special relationships and friends in the industry, many of whom remain life-long friends. Among the numerous highlights have been opportunities to help and assist in the growth and direction of Mitre 10 Trade and “seeing many of our ideas come to fruition.”

Graham continued his assistance and ongoing development of the Mitre 10 brand within the Trade arena when the decision was made to extend into the timber and building materials supply in response to growth in the Tauranga region. Greg Bold was tasked with establishing a greenfield trade set-up in Tauranga. Although Greg had grown up with his father Ted, a builder, and had some retail experience, the contacts in what, at the time, was a very networked industry were not immediately available.

“Graham essentially took me under his wing and introduced me into an industry; he was exceedingly well connected,” Greg says.

From this, the Tauranga store developed a trade base that became a part of the enabling company that grew into Mitre 10 MEGA Tauranga.

“There were three strong personalities throughout this process and it was not all plain sailing. The occasional boardroom discussions were memorable for all,” says Greg.

“Working within a family business is never an easy prospect and it is testament to Graham’s loyalty, tenacity and spirit that has seen him remain and grow the business the way he has.”

Over the years Graham attended numerous overseas conferences with Heather. The couple have enjoyed many

hours of great social time with the extended Mitre 10 family and friends, been inspired and motivated by the many wonderful keynote speakers, and been taken on some awesome excursions.

An added highlight was the building of the new retail store and drive-thru.

Staff members, Neil Edwards and Adrian Parks, who both started on the same day in 1987, have a long-term work relationship with Graham. Adrian, Manager of the truss and prenail branch, says Graham has been progressive, amicable, and always trusted in his abilities.

“Graham’s worked hard to foster client relationships over a long period and these relationships are enduring. Many of the apprentices he’s nurtured are now running their own businesses,” Adrian says.

“Graham has had good rapport with client and supplier base, and staff, all those years. And all those relationships created a great work environment and have resulted in a great return for the company.”

Neil, in the Trade Department, has felt the impact of Graham’s big personality.

“We have a great team and Graham has been an excellent team leader with a knack of getting people on side. He will leave a big hole and it will take some boots to fill.”

Stepping into those boots is Trade Manager, Warren Hurley. Warren joined the Waihi trade scene 15 years ago as manager of a new timber yard. Eight years later when the business was sold he repped for a building supplies company in a neighbouring town.

“It was in opposition to Graham Walker and Waihi Mitre 10. I was a continuing thorn in Graham’s side.”

It came as a surprise, therefore, when Graham contacted him.

“My first thoughts were: what does GW want? what’s he up to? I asked him if he was looking for a job. Little did I know he had the opposite in mind.”

Graham and Warren have always had mutual respect, and enjoy verbal harpoons at golf and social gatherings. A great team spirit exists at Waihi Mitre 10, with an excellent atmosphere to work in, which is a direct result of Graham’s presence. Warren believes a lot of other employers could learn from it.

Graham’s vision for Mitre 10 is to see many of the MEGA stores realise and embrace the huge potential growth in the trade business, to continue to seek and train young people into the business, to continue to embrace change for the better, and to continue to grow the product.

“Who knows what the future holds.”

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SUPPLIER CONCRETE

Market leader comes from humble beginnings

Drymix was awarded the Mitre 10 Building Products Supplier of the Year at a gala event last year.

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It was way back in 1990, that Gordon Crossan took his first leap into launching what would later become New Zealand’s most successful drymix concrete business.

Drymix New Zealand Ltd was born in a shed belonging to the Power Board in central Feilding and, along with his wife, Patricia, Gordon soon set about developing their first tiny plant.

It was up and running within three weeks, manufacturing and bagging easy-to-mix and quick setting concretes and mortars.

Approximately four years later, that plant moved to its current home in Awa Street, the industrial hub of Feilding and has since grown to cover around two acres.

Drymix has seen a lot of growth during those years, both in terms of size, with approximately 30 staff nationwide, extension of product range and new technologies. Now offering a range 4

of different concretes, mortars, plasters, sands, landscape products, cements, bagged asphalt and custom made solutions, Drymix are leaders in their field in New Zealand.

But none of this would have been possible without the strong working relationship, unwavering support and mutual respect of the Mitre 10 group.

This long standing history began in 1992 when Gordon and Patricia identified an opportunity to join the family of Mitre 10 suppliers by purchasing a company called Cookcrete. Cookcrete offered one product which consisted of a bag of sand with a bag of cement inside. They delivered to two or three Mitre 10 stores, mostly in the Manawatu area. Under the leadership of Murray Gordon McLean, who was CEO at the time, Mitre 10 welcomed Drymix and, over the next several years developed a good, solid working relationship with Mitre 10, Hammer Hardware and Palmers Gardenworld stores.

17/07/

SUPPLIER “To also be awarded the inaugural Innovation Award for our Super Easy Mix in the Bag range was one of the proudest moments in our company’s history. We are constantly striving to improve our product offering and service and are thrilled that this has been recognised by New Zealand’s pre-eminent home improvement, building supplies and garden retailer”.

As the Mitre 10 Group grew, and saw the introduction of Mitre 10 Solutions, Home & Trade and MEGA, so did Drymix. Around the same time the first Mitre 10 MEGA opened in Hastings, Drymix established a South Island plant, based in Pleasant Point, just outside of Timaru. The main reasons for this were growth, the ability to use the same aggregates and cement in both plants, and the end of freight charges between the North and South islands. Now they could supply a better product, faster and more cost effectively, rather than supplying South Island stores out of the Feilding plant.

Keep an eye out for Drymix’s new look bags which have started appearing instore. All products are identical but the bags have had a smart makeover.

Made in Italy, these new generation high-tech bags will reduce dust by up to 90%.

Yet another new offering from this supplier is their Drymix Dryproof range of waterproofing products which includes flexible cement based coatings, bitumen and liquid rubber membranes, primers and quick setting compounds.

This New Zealand owned-and-operated business is truly a family affair. Gordon and Patricia are joined by their son Hunter, who is also a Director and, after 20 years, the day-to-day manager of the Drymix Group of companies. Their son, Simon, is also a company Director, Business Development Manager and integral part of the operation. Gordon’s son Les manages the South Island operation and daughter-in-law Alex oversees Marketing. They are joined by a dedicated and expert team of staff.

In June last year, at Mitre 10’s Conference and 40th Birthday Celebrations in Los Angeles, Drymix say they were honoured and absolutely delighted to be recognised by Mitre 10 and awarded with Building Products Supplier of the Year 2014.

“To also be awarded the inaugural Innovation Award for our Super Easy Mix in the Bag range was one of the proudest moments in our company’s history. We are constantly striving to improve our product offering and service and are thrilled that this has been recognised by New Zealand’s pre-eminent home improvement, building supplies and garden retailer”.

www.drymix.co.nz 5

LEGAL

Health and Safety Reform – Ready, Set, Go!

By Sam Moore New Zealand is undergoing a major health and safety reform. The reform will introduce increased obligations on organisations, directors, and workers, enforceable with higher penalties for non-compliance. This article summarises the progress that has been made in this space since our last update in December 2013, as well as providing you with the latest timeframes for the reform and some of the key things that you will need to consider to get reform ready before the Health and Safety Reform Bill becomes law.

Progress in health and safety reform: a stronger regulator and reform laws taking shape • WorkSafe New Zealand is up and running: WorkSafe is New Zealand’s new principal health and safety regulator (stepping into the historic shoes of OSH, DOL and MBIE). However, unlike previous regulators, WorkSafe will

Samuel Moore Meredith Connell regularly advises directors and companies on their duties and business structures. If you would like to discuss any of the points raised in this article or would like advice specific to your company do not hesitate to contact us.

Samuel Moore is a senior solicitor in Meredith Connell’s commercial group with broad experience advising on all aspects of health and safety law including acting for both the regulated and the regulators alike.

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be an independent, better funded and more empowered regulatar. Moreover, WorkSafe was established to remedy the failures of former regulators (as outlined in the Pike River Royal Commission report) so you can expect to see a firmer and more proactive regulator in the future.

• The Reform Bill has undergone its second reading: The Reform Bill has been sent to select committee for closer scrutiny and public submissions. The commentary coming from the various political parties suggests that there will not be a great deal of changes to the Reform Bill in its current form.

Approximate timeframes for the future: legislation, regulation and guidelines • March 2015, final version of the Reform Bill likely: A select committee will pass the Reform Bill back to Parliament for final consideration before being passed.

• October 2015, the Reform Bill is expected to be passed into law: Because of the way that the legislative process works, dates for enactments are impossible to pin down with complete accuracy. That said, October 2015 is the anticipated commencement date for the Reform Bill coming into law as the Health and Safety at Work Act. • October 2015, 5 sets of Regulations expected to be released: The Government will release its first set of Regulations to accompany the Reform Bill as it becomes law. These will be WorkSafe’s big ticket items and will address: general risk and workplace management; worker participation; work involving asbestos; work involving hazardous substances; and major hazardous facilities.

• 2016-2017, Safety Star Rating System expected: ACC and WorkSafe have agreed to provide a Safety Star Rating System as a voluntary health and safety grading regime for contractors. This system provides principals with a scale to assess the health and safety record of organisations that they may wish to engage and form part of the conditions of any procurement/tenders in future.

• 2016-2017, further regulations: The Government will release the second set of Regulations

LEGAL within two years of the first that will address: hazardous work; plant and structures; geothermal operations; and quarries.

• Ongoing Guidance by WorkSafe: WorkSafe will publish approved codes of practice and guidance information to support the Health and Safety at Work Act and its Regulations on an ongoing basis. WorkSafe has already updated many of its guidelines, including workplace bullying and asbestos and we expect to see this approach across the board in the coming years.

Three action items to have in place before the Reform Bill becomes law: making a start with compliance under the Reform Bill • Due diligence: Directors and executive leaders, who will be considered “officers” under the Reform Bill, will need to understand their organisations’ health and safety risks and the new obligations imposed on them regarding health and safety. Officers should ensure that appropriate resources and processes are in place to eliminate or minimise risks and regularly review and monitor these processes. A simple way to start this process is to undertake a health and safety audit. This will expose the risks and weaknesses in your organisation’s health and safety practices and assist you in eliminating those risks.

Most organisations should also provide guidelines to their officers on how to discharge their new duties. A breach of due diligence duties is an offence with a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment and/or a $600,000 fine.

• Worker participation: Organisations must engage with their workers regarding health and safety. Workers should be given a reasonable opportunity to express their views, raise health and safety issues and contribute to resolution of issues. Organisations should have practices in place to enable workers to participate in ongoing health and safety issues; health and safety representatives may be drawn from the work force to report unsafe practices and other health and safety related matters to the board. Failure to provide worker participation practices is an offence with a maximum fine of $100,000.

Mitre 10 Trade Match Fishing League After being involved as a team sponsor in last season’s Match Fishing Leaue, Mitre 10 Trade have now confirmed overall naming sponsor rights for the 2015 season of the Mitre 10 Trade Match Fishing League.

The popular competition will again run over 22 episodes and will be shown on Sky Sport and Prime TV. Filming will start in February with the first shows aired in April. The series is aiming for the earliest start to the season ever - so summer fishing will feature for the first time.

The series will feature new official boats this season – McLay Boats Fortress Centre Console models powered by the latest generation 115hp Mercury 4-stroke outboards. The boats made their first appearance as part of the Mitre 10 Trade section in the recent Santa Parade in Auckland.

Some tweaking of the format has also taken place.

Each episode will now feature a tackle and tips segment and there will also be a section on preparing seafood presented by Masterchef winner Brett McGregor.

There will be a guest celebrity on board each boat during matches, and they will be taking part in a separate celebrity competition.

We’ll be bringing you more information from the Mitre 10 Trade Match Fishing League as the season unfolds.

• Health and safety management system: It would be prudent to revisit and revise all health and safety management systems (this should include: procurement/ contracting management; policy/job descriptions; and reporting/notification regimes). Case studies have shown that organisations that fully implement health and safety management enjoy improved productivity. On the other hand, failure to report notifiable events to WorkSafe is an offence with a maximum fine of $50,000 and failures to consult with contractors and other duty holders may lead to an offence with a maximum fine of $100,000.

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SITE SAFETY

Confined Space – how to identify one and how to stay safe A confined space is a very dangerous working environment. And, if things go wrong and a worker needs to be rescued, the rescuers themselves will be in a lot of danger with serious risks to manage.

Don’t skim on health and safety when working in a confined space. Identify the hazards in and related to space, and know your rescue plan works before you start.

Buddy System – one person inside and one person outside Make sure you have reliable system of speaking between a trained safety observer outside the confined space and the worker within, eg. voice, rope tugging, tapping or a batteryoperated system. Important: Never work alone in a confined space.

Overall Responsibilities

What is a confined space?

The person in charge of the confined space site must:

A confined space is any area that is not designed for people to be or use, it is difficult to get in and out, and the air can possibly be toxic or not contain enough oxygen.

• Assign, control, delegate and review confined space procedures (write down who does what) • Do a risk assessment and work out the best possible option • Apply for a work permit • Standby and emergency response • Test and document the atmosphere • Assess the competency of everyone on site for confined space safety management and provide training where needed

Examples of confined spaces include: • collapsed buildings (after demolition activity or an earthquake) • closed-in basements, cellars or other underground areas • closed-in storage structures and places e.g. tanks • deep man-made trenches • collapsed ground or fissures • open top vats (heavy toxic gas builds up in the bottom) • damaged furnace, oven or chemical treatment rooms Always consider your ability to exit quickly and the quality of the air. Remember the work you are doing may make a once safe area unsafe, for example if you are using a mini excavator in an underground garage – how will the machine’s fumes be cleared from the confined space so you can make the air safe to breath?

What are the risks of confined spaces?

• being trapped if the structure falls down • being suffocated (not getting enough oxygen to breath) • being submerged by products inside the container or tank (such as sawdust).

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Risk Assessment Make a written assessment on the hazards in the confined space, note down the following: • The work that needs to be done • The method being used to safely get the work done (note down other possible ways to show how you have selected the best one) • The hazards present • The risks present • What equipment you will be using on the job • Emergency and rescue plan.

Make sure you update your assessment if any part of the task or situation changes.

SITE SAFETY Hazard Toxic Air

Controls Suffocation can occur when oxygen levels are too low.

Explosion risk when oxygen levels are too high.

• Measure and monitor oxygen levels and test the atmosphere for toxic and combustible contaminants • Make sure testing equipment is correctly regulated by a competent person.

Confined spaces can be toxic – containing gases, vapours, dusts or fumes which may cause immediate harm to workers or have delayed health effects.

Getting trapped

There is potential for dry bulk materials to invade the space and trap or bury workers.

Uncontrolled steams, water, or other vapours or liquids could cause suffocation or drowning.

Vehicles and equipment

Machinery being used that may unintentionally or automatically start, or fail.

Noise Extreme temperature Falls from height

• Clean or flush the confined space to remove harmful solids, sludge or liquid.

• Purge to remove harmful gases or vapours.

• Ventilate the confined space • Use appropriate breathing equipment. .

• De-energise, lockout and/or tag-out machinery and electrical equipment.

• Staff must be competent in confined space and with equipment and plant use.

• Workers must know how to use and wear the right personal protective equipment (PPE) • PPE and equipment must be right for the job and checked by a competent person.

Rescue Plan A rescue plan in an emergency is vital for any type of severe hazardous work. The plan will outline the procedures and equipment ready for the worker rescue, which keeps the rescuers safe. The emergency plan must be written down and communicated to all staff so they are aware of their personal responsibilities.

Permit to work Use a permit to work checklist that sets out the work to be done and the precautions to be taken. This process provides a clear record that all foreseeable hazards have been considered and eliminated or controlled. A permit to work template for confined space can be found in the appendices of AS/NZS 2865. The permit should be signed by the supervisor/ competent person on site and no person should enter a confined space without one.

Site Safe NZ Inc is a not for profit, membership based organisation, that promotes a culture of safety in the New Zealand construction and related industries.

For more information about Site Safe NZ Inc, our products and services, or to speak to a Safety Advisor, contact us on 0800 SITE SAFE or visit www.sitesafe.org.nz.

Refer to the AS/NZS 2865 “Confined Spaces” before working in a confined space.

Standards are available to purchase from the New Zealand Standards website – www.standards.co.nz.

Disclaimer: This article is only to provide information and awareness on confined space. It’s recommended that you talk to a health and safety expert if you are undertaking confined space work and need professional advice.

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Y T E F A S D N A H T L HEA

Rebuild water bottle drop aims to reduce fatigue Keeping rebuild workers physically and mentally alert is the aim of a new water bottle campaign launched recently.

WorkSafe New Zealand and ACC have teamed up for the ‘Beat Fatigue’ campaign to help workers get through the traditionally busy period over the summer months.

“As construction work involves high-risk activities we need our workers to be alert to be able to stay safe on site,” says WorkSafe’s Canterbury Occupational Health Project Manager, Donna Burt.

As part of the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter’s selfassessment tool, which more than 90 signatories have completed this year, fatigue has been raised as a major issue.

Out of the Charter’s ten actions, impairment and fatigue was the biggest area where organisations involved in the rebuild 10

noted that they needed more support to develop fatigue management policies and plans and to support workers on site.

“As a result WorkSafe ran a half-day workshop on fatigue in July, but we want to do more to encourage workers to look after themselves,” says Ms Burt.

The Beat Fatigue campaign includes water bottles, labelled with specific messages, delivered to sites across the rebuild this week by WorkSafe inspectors and ACC staff.

“The message is simple. People need to eat, sleep and hydrate well,” says Ms Burt.

“We want to spend some face-to-face time with these workers, have a bit of a chat about fatigue and why it’s such a problem, and leave them with something practical that helps them to remember the message,” she says.

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AROUND THE STORES James Hardie promo winner There’s little that can make Christmas sweeter than a Christmas bonus to fatten the wallet, and that’s exactly what Queenstown’s Tom Glover got when he won a James Hardie Amalgamated Builders promotion, run in the October issue of Mitre 10 In Trade.

Tom, from Homeworx Construction Ltd, purchased the James Hardie Linea for a house project he was working on from Mitre 10 Queenstown, putting him in the draw to have his purchase refunded from James Hardie.

“Tom has become a valued client of ours over the past 2-3 years and is certainly an avid supporter of Mitre 10,’ says Mitre 10 Queenstown Trade Development Manager Paul Reeve.

“The fact that Tom was fortunate enough to take out the James Hardie major prize has further strengthened our relationships and opportunities for future business together are certain.”

Pink Batts prize has Xbox factor Greg McLeod’s children have got every reason to stay inside in front of the TV this summer after he was presented with an Xbox One as part of a Pink Batts promotion run in the October issue of In Trade.

Greg, from Custom Homes Ltd, is a customer of Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill and was presented with his prize by Trade Rep Daniel Marsden.

Daniel says the prize was readily welcomed by Greg, who was selected for the prize after spending more than $500 in-store on a Pink Batts product.

“I’d like to pass on our thanks to the team at Tasman Insulation and Mitre 10 Support Centre for this,” Daniel says

Pictured: Paul Reeve (left) and Steve Verheul from James Hardie Invercargill, presented the $3000 cheque to Tom Glover

On course at Queenstown In late November, the team from Mitre 10 MEGA Invercargill too a group of six foremen from Amalgamated Builder to the Kelvin Heights golf course, near Queenstown to play in the Mitre 10 Trade, Queenstown Golf day.

The incredible backdrop at this picturesque course was backed up by outstanding weather and fantastic hospitality from the local course officials, making for a great day out for store staff and customers alike.

With a location like this, even a terrible round of golf is a pretty good day out.

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T A O B D N A H C A E B

Mitre 10 Trade on board with Beach and Boat

Mitre 10 Trade is backing the largest fishing tournament within the Southern Hemisphere, having confirmed associate sponsorship with the organisers of the 2015 Beach and Boat event.

Taking place on February 20 and 21 at the Marsden Cove Marina in the Whangarei Harbour, the Beach and Boat is back in 2015 for its 10th event at the location.

The 2014 Century Batteries Beach and Boat saw a 30% increase in adult contestants, with more than 50% of the people attending coming from Auckland. However, the event still gets huge support from the South Island fishermen with contestants travelling from Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch and the West Coast, and it’s expected this will continue again in 2015.

Up for grabs is more than $420,000 in prizes and promotions.

Two Surtees Honda Boat packages - worth more than over

$40,000 each – are up for grabs, as well as a Kawasaki JetSki and five Viking fishing kayaks as mystery weight prizes. There’s also more than $100,000 in prizes from Shimano and Furuno.

The new prize for 2015 to celebrate the 10th anniversary is the chance to win a brand new Isuzu D MAX 4 x 4 Ute with accessories from Beaut Utes. Isuzu have come on board with a new Ute to be won and other great prizes.

The prizes are awarded for the five species – Snapper, Kingfish, John Dory, Kahawai and Trevally.

Tickets are on sale now online at www.beachandboat.co.nz and, with a limit of just 2000 entries, you’ll need to get in quick to secure your spot.

The 2015 Century Batteries Beach and Boat will be limited to 2000 entries and tickets are selling fast.

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BRANZ

Scaffolding in the frame

BY ALIDE ELKINK, FREELANCE TECHNICAL WRITER, WELLINGTON

STRICTER ENFORCEMENT OF WORK AT HEIGHT IS NOW IN FORCE. AS WORK RAMPS UP, IT’S TIME TO GET TO GRIPS WITH SCAFFOLDING BEST PRACTICE. Any work at height carries a risk of falling. When construction work cannot be carried out on the ground or a finished floor level, regulation 22 of the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations requires that scaffold must be provided where work can’t be safely done without it.

Variety of scaffolding Scaffold – or scaffolding – is any temporary structure erected to: • support people undertaking construction or constructionrelated work • provide a safe, stable platform to work on • hold the materials needed for the work being done.

A variety of types of scaffold systems are available including: • independent scaffolds such as tower, mobile, hung and birdcage scaffolds • single pole scaffolds • suspended scaffolds • bracket scaffolds • trestle scaffolds • spur scaffolds • cantilevered scaffolds.

Getting the terms right With the exception of suspended systems, a scaffold is a framework constructed from steel, fibreglass or aluminium tubes and connected by couplers – also called fittings – to support a work platform (see Figure 1).

Scaffolds may also be constructed from timber (up to 5 m high), and a range of proprietary systems are available. The vertical tubes are called standards and are connected by couplers to longitudinal horizontal tubes called ledgers and transverse horizontal tubes called transoms.

The work platforms may be either timber or steel in accordance with AS/NZS 1577:2013 Scaffold decking components, and are supported on transoms and putlogs – additional transverse tubes. Timber planks may be solid timber, vertically laminated timber or laminated veneer lumber (LVL).

Edge protection needed The open sides and ends of work platforms, landings and temporary stairways must protect workers against falling by having guard rails with mid-rails and toe boards or infill panels (see Figure 2).

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Top guard rails must be at least 900 mm above the work platform. Where mid-rails are used, they must be located so that the gaps between guard rail and mid-rail, and between mid-rail and platform are no more than 500 mm.

Toe boards are installed at the platform level so that tools or materials cannot fall off and be a hazard to anyone below. Toe boards must be continuous and a minimum of 150 mm high.

If infill panels are used, they must have either a kick plate or a separate toe board.

Where there is a small gap (typically 225 mm but no more than 300 mm) between the scaffold and an adjacent structure, the inside edge protection may be omitted (see AS/NZS 1576.1:2010 Scaffolding – Part 1: General requirements clause 3.10.4.1).

Access The access for scaffolds is generally a stairway, but ramps

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Figure 2: Scaffold guard rail, mid-rail and toe board with steel planks.

Figure 3: Base plate on sole board

and ladders may also be used in some situations (AS/NZS 1576.1:2010 clause 3.11). Stairs may be constructed using stair brackets with planks and tubes. Alternatively, proprietary stairway units are also available.

• environmental loads such as wind, snow and earthquake loads • impact loads that generally occur suddenly, such as when materials are placed on or taken off the scaffold.

Scaffold design must be in accordance with AS/NZS 1576: Parts 1–6 Scaffolding and AS/NZS 4576:1995 Guidelines for scaffolding.

If possible, stairs should be located in a separate bay adjacent to the working platform. Regardless of location, the access opening should be protected by a gate or be far enough away from the working platform that someone cannot accidentally fall.

Start with solid foundation Base plates and sole boards – also referred to as base boards or sole plates – distribute the load from the scaffold standards to the ground or the supporting surface (see Figure 3).

Sole boards are typically timber and support steel base plates connected to each standard. They must be installed level and even so the scaffold remains stable.

Secure scaffold Scaffold systems need to be secured by being braced or tied to a support structure or by using stabilisers. They must be braced in at least two directions, that is, longitudinal (or face) braced, traverse braced or plan braced.

When the scaffold height is more than three times the width of the base, the scaffold must be tied to a supporting structure.

Alternatively, stabilisers or outriggers can be used to increase the base width.

Scaffold design Tube and coupler scaffolds can be adapted to almost any configuration or loading application.

They must be able to carry all imposed dead and live loads for the duration of the use of the scaffold. The dead load is the selfweight of the scaffold. Live loads include: • duty loads – the people and materials on the scaffold

AS/NZS 1576.1 defines four duty load categories – light, medium, heavy and special duty. These are based on uniformly distributed loads (UDLs) across each bay but also factor in a design point load located in the most adverse position in the bay. Maximum duty loads are summarised in Table 1.

Erecting scaffolds

The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 requires risks from hazards in the workplace to be managed in a hierarchy of elimination, isolation and minimisation. Minimisation should only be considered when elimination and isolation are not possible.

The greatest risk from scaffolds is falling. As elimination and isolation are generally not risk management options, the risk must be minimised.

There are two main methods to minimise risk when erecting, dismantling and using scaffold: • Employing the tunnelling method of erecting and dismantling scaffold.

• Wearing a hard hat, safety footwear, safety harness and personal fall arrest system, and being hooked on when working in any situation where a fall can occur.

• The tunnelling method The tunnelling method of erecting and dismantling scaffold is when a guard rail is progressively installed from the level below. When the scaffolder climbs onto the platform, the edge 15

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ground, it may only be erected, altered, repaired and dismantled by a person with a certificate of competence that is the appropriate class for that particular type of scaffold.

protection is already in place to create a safe zone, and the possibility of a fall is minimised.

To be defined as a safe zone, there must be both: • a fully boarded and correctly supported platform without gaps • a single guard rail between 900–1,100 mm above the platform.

Scaffolding and Rigging New Zealand (SARNZ) issue certificates of competence under the authority of WorkSafe New Zealand.

Notifiable work

Must be qualified to install or change

When a person can fall 5 m or more, scaffold work (including erection, alteration, repair and dismantling) is notifiable work under the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations (section 2: Interpretation). The work must be notified in writing to WorkSafe New Zealand at least 24 hours before it begins.

Only competent people can erect, alter, repair and dismantle scaffold.

If any part of a scaffold system is 5 m or more above the

TABLE 1 – MAXIMUM DUTY LOADS DUTY LOAD CLASSIFICATION

MAXIMUM LOAD PER BAY (UDL)

MAXIMUM POINT LOAD

KN

KG

KN

KG

LIGHT DUTY

2.2

225

1.0

100

MEDIUM DUTY

4.4

450

1.5

150

HEAVY DUTY

6.6

675

2.0

200

SPECIAL DUTY

The heaviest intended load but not less than 1.0 kPa (100 kg/m²).

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APPRENTICE

Getting caught short I do some pretty naive things sometimes as an apprentice, and most of them I learn from, but when things go wrong, they’re not always my fault.

open the door nervously, and check to make sure that noone’s around. Sweet, I’m clear, but as I turn around to close the door, I see the unimaginable; it’s overflowing, the toilet bowl is blocked and the water is overflowing over the edge of the bowl and onto the floor.

When I’m misinformed, I can’t be held totally accountable. Like the time I picked the wrong toilet. Now, I may be a builder but I am still a lady and, as uncouth as I can be, I find one thing unbearably embarrassing.

Oh no, what am I going to do? I throw an old towel down and try and plunge it, but my pitiful (although determined) attempts only make more of a mess. I’m close to tears, I just want to die. It sounds crazy now, but I actually thought about running, just leaving the island for a few years until things settled down. But I overcame it my embarrassment and went upstairs to ‘fess up. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I did it.

Um…Number twos.

My business is my business and nobody else’s. I do my best not to be in a situation where I need to do it anywhere other than at home. But, sometimes, you’ve just got to go at work.

But Murphy loves me and he regularly applies his laws to my life. So a few months back there was an incident.

We had two loos in the house we were working on and apparently the bottom loo was a no go.

So I waited until there was no one around and slipped into the upstairs bathroom to ‘snap one off’ quietly.

“Ok George let’s make this quick and no one will ever know,” I thought to myself.

It takes a good sense of humour to get through life and, now that I’m over the initial embarrassment, I can embrace this hilarious situation and laugh about it.

I guess that’s what life is about; finding the humour and brightness in everything you can. And, when things get tough, just push through until you can turn around and laugh about it

Adios Amigos Georgie Young

I go to flush and, oh no, oh dear god, please NO! It’s not going down!

I fill up a bucket in a desperate attempt to it flush away but this throne’s got a macerator on it, so there’s no manual flush for me to use. I take a deep breath and try to calm down. Ok I’m just going to have to close the lid and hope no one finds it. As soon as I step out of the bathroom, however, it seems everyone has decided to gather upstairs for a briefing. And then the questions start.

“Where have you been? Wait you haven’t just used that toilet have you?” Suddenly it’s sweltering hot and I’m bright red with five guys shaking their heads and chuckling. I’m humiliated.

But the fun isn’t over yet, as the plumber can’t get to fixing it for a few days, so I guess that bathroom’s a red tape zone now.

A few days later the unthinkable happens. I need to go again.

What’s wrong with me this week??

So, I sneak into the downstairs toilet this time. No power, no windows; the only light is from open door. I don’t have time to go and grab a light, because someone might catch me, so I decided I’d just do it in the dark. I flush and wash my hands,

Georgie Young is a BCITO apprentice and works for Sheffield Construction on Waihake Island 19

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