OSH leads to huge range of safety training

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 636, 14 May 1996, Page 1

OSH leads to huge range of safety training

It looked like a fun way to earn a living, but the point of the exercise was serious when about 10 reps from Fernz fertiliser company spent a day learning how to ride farm bikes and all-terrain-vehicles (ATV's) in safety last week. The saies representati ves visit a lot of farms where the only way to reach some areas where they need to do soil testirig is on a bike or ATV. The . new Occupational Safety and

Health regulations state that an employer must identify hazards and make sure employees are adequately trained and supervised. Farm bike riding was identified as a potential hazard for company employees, hence the course. Bill Hadley from Total Driver Training oversaw the course, with help from two Army instructors from Waiouru and Joe Lett Suzuki representative Ashley Pierson.

Mr Hadley said the course would be good for farm workers as farmers were required to ensure they have made safety provisions for their workers. Following the day in the mud, the reps spent a day learning how to better control their cars on the road in an advanced driver training course. Mr Hadley said safety training was a growth industry following the introduction of the OSH Act.