Methanex take Business House Safety trophy

A team of four staff from Methanex won the inaugural NPiS Business House Safety Challenge trophy after narrowly beating Ballance Agrinutrients by two points...thanks to their quick thinking during a quick-fire quiz held at the end of the competition.

Prior to  the quiz, workplace teams had a chance to test their safety knowledge and skills in a range of practical safety challenges including first aid, road safety, personal safety, home safety and chemical handling. Teams took part in a total of 9 challenge activities, each lasting 20 minutes. Activities included putting out a small kitchen fire, responding to an aggresive customer, dealing with a suspected heart attack and installing a child restraint into a car!

Teams included staff from Methanex, Ballance Agrinutrients, New Plymouth District Council, Powerco, Taranaki District Health Board (2 teams) plus a guest team from Rotorua (Scion Research).

The competition, held at the Taranaki HSE Centre in New Plymouth, builds on previous team-based safety competitions such as the Gateway Safety Challenge and the Trades Apprentice Safety Challenge. Held during Safety NZ Week the event had a particular focus on home safety, encouraging participants to think about how they could transfer workplace safety knowledge through to the home.

Event participants were mainly health and safety representatives and it is hoped that the event will encourage them to take some creative safety promotion ideas back into the workplace. A couple of the businesses who attended on the day are considering holding a similar 'in house' competition aimed at different work departments. In contrast, other businesses on the day said they would like to see the event go national with regional semi-finals followed by an inter-region competition.

Organisers are not planning to take the event national at this stage, but have not ruled it out.

Channa Perry, who co-ordinated the event, said "we are really pleased with how our first ever business challenge went. Feedback has been excellent and highlights the strength of practical experience as a learning tool. Once again the Business House challenge goes to show what can be achieved when a group of safety organisations work together and the local community show their support by taking part. We look forward to building on this success next year".