The Ōtaki Fire Brigade scooped the Award for best design or technology initiative at the recent New Zealand Workplace Health & Safety Awards, presented by Safeguard, at the SKYCITY Convention Centre in Auckland.
The Ōtaki Fire Brigade designed and built a rapid extraction beam to make it easier and safer for brigade staff to extract injured people from smashed cars. This new device reduces the risk of brigade members being struck by passing traffic. It also better allows medicalpersonnel to attend to the injured while they are being extracted from the wreck.
It was the biggest ever dinner with 465 guests including the Minister of Labour, Hon Kate Wilkinson and a number of CEOs from some of New Zealand’s leading companies.
Hosted by John Campbell, the Awards showcased the best health and safety talent in the country and recognised those companies and individuals who inspire others with their ingenuity, dedication and sheer hard work to ensure that people go home to their families safe and sound each day.
In John’s words “The night was a truly delightful evening and I was proud to be part of it. There was something very special about the alchemy of that room: PAK’n SAVE workers, volunteer fire fighters and Air New Zealand and Fonterra bosses all in the same room. Unique and lovely.”
