Overwatch Solutions is thrilled to announce that this week Muddy has become one of six Skills assessors who are approved to facilitate Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF) Level 3 and Level 4 Certificate in Cranes .

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In 2020 the government announced zero fees for the Level 3 and Level 4 Certificate in Cranes, under the TTAF scheme. The scheme has been rolled out for multiple other trades training qualifications.

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The result is that until December 2022, training to become a crane operator is FREE.

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Qualifications:
Level 3 Qualifications Program
Level 4 Qualifications Program

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To find out more about this and how to secure free training - please read the PRESS RELEASE

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You can also contact Skills NZ direct, to enquire on 0508 SKILLS or visit the Skills NZ webpage for crane training.

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Contact Overwatch Solutions today to see how we can assist with your staff upskill with this FREE initiative.

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Overwatch Solutions is pleased to announce that this week Muddy has been successful in becoming a Connexis Workplace Registered Assessor: Number N1807.

 

Muddy has over 20 years experience in earthmoving, road and bridge construction. He has knowledge in survey, design and project management, as such, he holds numerous industry qualifications and National Certificates. 

 

As a Connexis assessor Muddy is committed to ensuring that all of our trainees receive high quality training and are assessed fairly and consistently against national standards.  He will make judgment on the skills and knowledge of an individual to determine whether they meet the required competencies.

 

Connexis prerequisites state that registered assessors have industry experience and extensive technical knowledge and skills. All workplace assessors will hold unit standard 4098 – Use standards to assess candidate performance or have demonstrated equivalent knowledge and skills.

 

All registered assessors  are provided with an assessment scope. This scope reflects the experience and qualifications the assessor currently holds and determines what unit standards they may assess.

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Contact Overwatch Solutions today to see how we can assist with your staff upskill and Connexis workplace assessments.

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Connexis - Infrastructure Industry Training

Overwatch Solutions are now proud members of the Crane Association of New Zealand (Inc).

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The Crane Association of New Zealand (Inc.) was established in 1975 by crane owners to represent their interests. Today crane owners of all types are members as are many suppliers to the industry.

The Association places a great deal of importance on training and safety and has succeeded in raising the standards of operation and efficiency across the face of the crane industry.

By supporting its members in these and other operational objectives the New Zealand crane industry has become an international benchmark of success in these areas.

The Association is the voice of the crane industry and recognised by the New Zealand government and the general public alike as the official representative on all matters relating to the safety and operation of cranes.

In December 2006, the Power Crane Association of New Zealand became the Crane Association of New Zealand (Inc.).

The new name was prompted by a detailed examination of the Association's changing role and how it had evolved beyond just representing the power cranes that it began with in 1975.

The changed name describes all the classes of cranes are now covered by the Association and is more in line with the definition of a crane under legislation.

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Check out Page 23 of the link below:

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Crane Association of New Zealand Members newsletter: June 2020

New Zealand buildings and other structures may contain asbestos. If you or your workers don’t take the right steps to protect yourselves, you’re putting  your health – and your incomes – at risk. Most asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to asbestos fibres  at work. Even small jobs might expose you and your workers to danger.

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Asbestos is still in many homes, workplaces and public buildings throughout  New Zealand. Any building built before 1 January 2000 is likely to contain some form of asbestos, particularly those built, altered or refurbished between 1940 and the mid-1980s. Even some recently-constructed buildings may have asbestos or Asbestos Containing Materials (ACMs). Asbestos and ACMs are not dangerous if they are in a good condition and remain undisturbed.

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WorkSafe - Where can Asbestos be found in homes and buildings?

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The best way to learn how to identify and safely handle asbestos is to attend asbestos awareness training. Training is an important part of the licensing system for both licensed and unlicensed asbestos workers. Are you aware of your/ your workers' responsibilities when it comes to asbestos?  Do you have an appropriate license for the removal of asbestos?  

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WorkSafe - When removing asbestos what training do you need?

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If you are unaware of where to start, we suggest our Asbestos Awareness Seminar which will outline duties, relevant training relating to the nature of your work and the required qualifications for the safe removal of asbestos.

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WorkSafe - Approved Code of Practice - Management and Removal of Asbestos 

Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs) are useful but complex pieces of equipment that are often used for access in hazardous areas. People have been seriously injured and killed in accidents involving MEWPs.

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The causes of these accidents have included:

• Equipment failure

• Not following the manufacturer’s recommendations

• Inadequate training and supervision

• Not fully assessing the hazards and risks of the job, site and the equipment.

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The guidelines outline the safe work practices on how to use and maintain MEWPs safely and help duty holders meet their obligations under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 (HSE Act), and the Health and Safety in Regulations 1995 (HSE Regulations).

 

The Best Practice Guidelines for Mobile Elevating Work Platforms are non-industry specific. Some industries have guidelines that deal with specific problems faced in their working environments, such as the electricity sector or horticulture. When deciding how to do a job safely, make sure you check any industry specific guidance.

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WorkSafe - Best Practice Guidelines - MEWP

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Note: While this guidance has not been updated to reflect current work health and safety legislation (the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and regulations), it may still contain relevant information and practices to keep workers and others healthy and safe. Please read this guidance in conjunction with all relevant industry standards that apply to you as a PCBU. This guidance will be progressively reviewed and either updated, replaced with other guidance, or revoked.

Confined spaces have been likened to a serial killer. Year after year, people die when entering confined spaces to carry out work. In some cases, multiple fatalities occur when would-be rescuers enter the space and become victims themselves.

 

The Standard (AS 2865:2009) defines a Confined Space as:
An enclosed or partially enclosed space that is not intended or designed primarily for human occupancy, within which there is a risk of one of more of the following:
a. An oxygen concentration outside the safe oxygen range
b. A concentration of airborne contaminant that may cause impairment, loss of consciousness or asphyxiation
c. A concentration of flammable airborne contaminant that may cause injury from fire or explosion
d. Engulfment in a stored free-flowing solid or a rising level or liquid that may cause suffocation or drowning

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Types of Confined Spaces:

Confined spaces can be located above or below ground, and despite the name, they can be very small or very large. Confined spaces can have one single point of entry or egress, or multiple.

1. Tank-like Compartments: Such as tankers, process vessels, boilers, pressure vessels, silos and storage tanks.

2. Open Top Spaces: Such as pipes, pits, degreasers, sewers, shafts and ducts.

3. Small Hatchways or Access Pits: Such as cargo tanks, cellular double bottom tanks, duct keels, ballast and oil tanks and void spaces.

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Training must be provided for all workers who may be involved in confined space work, including stand-by persons, to ensure they have the skills to safely complete this work. Regularly reassess their competency for working in confined spaces. Workers who use detectors to test whether the atmosphere is safe must be trained to use them correctly.

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WorkSafe - Planning entry and working safely in a Confined Space

Preventing falls should be actively managed so that people working at height are kept safe.

 

Investigations by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment into falls while working at height show that more than 50 percent of falls are from less than three metres and approximately 70 percent of falls are from ladders and roofs. The cost of these falls is estimated to be $24 million a year – to say nothing of the human cost as a result of these falls.

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Factors contributing to injuries sustained from working at height include:

• Lack of or inadequate planning and hazard assessment

• Inadequate supervision

• Insufficient training for the task being carried out

• Incorrect protection or equipment choices

• Incorrect use or set-up of equipment including personal protective equipment

• Unwillingness to change the way a task is carried out when a safer alternative is identified

• Suitable equipment being unavailable.

 

More injuries happen on residential building sites than any other workplace in the construction sector.

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MBIE - Best Practice Guidelines for Working at Height in New Zealand

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Note: While this guidance has not been updated to reflect current work health and safety legislation (the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and regulations), it may still contain relevant information and practices to keep workers and others healthy and safe. Please read this guidance in conjunction with all relevant industry standards that apply to you as a PCBU. This guidance will be progressively reviewed and either updated, replaced with other guidance, or revoked.