Forum members finalists at Workplace Health & Safety Awards

Forum members named finalists at NZ Workplace Health and Safety Awards

16 May 2014

Three New Zealand business leaders have been publicly recognised for their personal commitment to protecting the health and safety of their workers.

CHEP NZ country general manager Mike O’Brien; Countdown managing director Dave Chambers and McConnell Dowell Constructors managing director Roger McRae have been named finalists in the Senior Leader category of the NZ Workplace Health and Safety Awards.

The Senior Leader award recognises the crucial role chief executives and managing directors play in creating safe workplaces says Julian Hughes, Executive Director of the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum.

The Forum, which supports chief executives and managing directors to lead on safety, sponsors the Senor Leader award.

“Creating a safe workplace isn’t always easy. But Mike, Dave and Roger all have great stories to tell about what can be achieved when leaders make health and safety a priority,” Julian says.

“These stories are particularly relevant given the reform process currently underway that steps up the legal obligations company executives have towards their workers.”

Julian says it’s great that all three finalists are members of the Forum. “In fact, more than half the finalists for all categories in the awards belong to the Forum.”

Winners for all categories, and an overall winner, will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on 28 May.

About the Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum
The Business Leaders’ Health and Safety Forum inspires and supports its members to become more effective leaders on health and safety. The Forum has more than 160 members, who are CEOs or Managing Directors of significant New Zealand companies. See www.zeroharm.org.nz

List of finalists in other categories
(Forum members in bold)

Kensington Swan best initiative to address a safety hazard
• Auckland International Airport
• Countdown Logistics
• Fulton Hogan HEB TEL Construction Alliance

WorkSafe New Zealand best initiative to address a health hazard
• Countdown
• Mercy Hospital Dunedin

Vitae best initiative to improve employee wellness
• Auckland Transport
• Bay of Plenty District Health Board
• Hubbard Foods

NZ Safety best initiative to encourage engagement in health and safety
• Christchurch Engine Centre (A joint venture involving Air NZ)
• Compass Group NZ
• SafeRebuild Canterbury

SICK best use of design to eliminate or isolate a hazard
• Carters Petone
• HT E Holdings
• INTAKS NZ

Site Safe best health and safety initiative by a small business
• MBC
• Metrapanel
• Te Pari Products

Impac best significant health and safety initiative by a large organisation
• Fletcher EQR
• New Zealand Steel
• Pacific Steel (Fletcher Building)

ACC best leadership of an industry sector or region
• Beca
• Fletcher EQR
• McLeod Cranes

NZISM health & safety practitioner of the year
• Alison Murphy, EQC
• Jim Gray, MB Century
• Paula May, Countdown

Ross Wilson – NZCTU most influential employee
• Paul Dennis, Lyttelton Port Company
• Paul Farquhar, Electrix
• Vern Rosieur, Northpower

ENDS

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