Pure Salt Ltd

will, as far as is reasonably practicable, carry out its activities with every effort made to enable members, other participants, members of the public and any other person in the vicinity, to return home safely each day.

The following process will be followed:

Appointment of Health and Safety Lead

Maria Kuster has been appointed as the overall health and safety lead for our group to liaise with the designated Department of Conservation (DOC) relationship holder on matters of risk assessment and health and safety.

Preparation of Safety Plan

In preparing this safety plan our group has consulted with the designated DOC relationship manager to help identify potential high-risk hazards for the site/type of activity approved by DOC along with proposed control measures to minimize risk if it first can’t be eliminated or substituted with a safer method (Appendix A).

High-risk activities are marked with a  symbol. Special attention will be given to these high-risk activities when undertaking any work on the site.    

Our group takes full responsibility for the plan.

General standard of care

We will follow a general standard of care whereby:

In advance of an activity:

• Our group takes responsibility for the health and safety of its volunteers and members but will collaborate and consult with the designated DOC relationship holder;

• A team leader will be appointed for each activity;

• Hazards and level of risk will be identified in the safety plan;

• Details of the activity including dates, tasks, logistics, skills and other requirements will be conveyed to potential team members;

• An appraisal will be undertaken to check team members have the fitness and competency to do the work;

• Team essentials will be identified and conveyed to team members.

• Team members will be advised of emergency response information.

At the beginning of the work activity, the team leader will:

• Lead an on-site job safety analysis involving all team members to identify/confirm tasks required to perform the activity and ensure that everyone understands the hazards and risks at the site and the controls in place to reduce risk. Ensure that participants have the appropriate personal protective equipment and are adequately prepared for the tasks

• Identify any participants with pre-existing medical conditions, allergies or sensitivity (e.g. to herbicides) that need to be considered in undertaking tasks and ensure they are carrying any necessary medication;

• Point out where the first-aid kit is located on site;

• Ensure that participants are fit, healthy and competent to undertake the tasks, or where a person doesn’t meet requirements, assign them to light duties where possible or work in tandem with another member;

• Ensure that new participants receive adequate induction and, if necessary, someone is assigned as their buddy;

• Ensure that communication channels/emergency procedures are in place.

During the work activity, the team leader will:

• Ensure safety procedures are being followed and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is being worn/used;

• Maintain an ongoing assessment of team safety;

• Rearrange or reschedule tasks if necessary to keep participants safe.

At the end of the work activity, the team leader will:

• Lead a debrief on safety aspects seeking feedback from participants and amend the safety plan if necessary to incorporate any agreed changes for future activities;

• Record any incidents and injuries involving participants on the Incident Reporting Form (Appendix C);

• Report any incidents incurring moderate or serious injuries to DOC as soon as possible;

• Ensure prompt reporting, investigating and follow-up for incidents involving harm or damage (actual or potential).

Responsibilities of team members

Team members will take responsibility for health and safety for themselves and others by:

• Following safety procedures and instructions;

• Participating in identifying the tasks to be undertaken and associated hazards and risks, and devising mitigation measures at each site;

• Operating in a manner that ensures their own and others safety;

• Advising the team leader of any personal medical condition or disability that could affect the safety of self or others during the activity and carrying any personal medication required for their own safety;

• Being concerned for other members of the team and speaking up when necessary;

• Operating a buddy system whereby they have another person in their vision or calling distance at all times;

• Raising any safety concerns with the team leader;

• Notifying the team leader of any incident involving injury or damage;

Our commitment

We recognise that any aspect of our work will entail some level of risk (likelihood of occurrence and degree of harm) to the safety of our group through exposure to a hazard (anything that can cause harm). We are committed to eliminating or minimizing those risks in so far as is reasonably practicable whenever we are undertaking work.