A few words on safety: the winners

Thanks to all those who entered our competition on how to sum up OHS in less than 100 words. The winner of a copy of Beating Stress at Work is Victoria Middleton, who supplied this hard-hitting entry explaining how she has found OHS can be misunderstood by the many non-English speaking workers in the construction sector, and 'not heard' by the English-speaking workers. She has found this overview of OHS advice appears to work:

"Here we abide by the rules and laws of the NZ H&S Act, but if you chose to come to work and not wear PPE, take short cuts, tamper with machinery or come to work unfit for duties, drunk, drugged or abusive; you will probably lose your job and income. Your family will be embarrassed by you, and you will not afford the luxuries of an income. Workplace H&S – it's your choice."

On a lighter note we liked these two runners-up for their catchy rapper-like beats:

Jo Prigmore:

"Common sense a go go, injuries a no no, safety always before speed, do you have the PPE you need, you don't have to go so fast, safety should be first not last, ACC could be exposed, did that incident get closed, all the rules conforming, doesn't have to be so boring, everyone take ownership, little scratch is just a blip, first aid case & LTI, no one wants to lose an eye, hearing plugs & muffs & aids, safety message so soon fades, do you feel your voice goes missing, let's give up & all go fishing."

Liz Johns:

"If you work in an office, factory or shop, health and safety, means a lot, watch out for loose wires, and broken glass, if you leave the floor wet, you'll slip on your arse, misuse of tools may seem fun, till you chop off your finger or slice up your thumb. Wobbly scaffolding, take the time, to fix it securely, your life's on the line, rest your wrists, take a break from the keys, walk from your desk and exercise your knees, wherever you work whatever you do, you can keep yourself safe, now you know what to do."