The transport and logistics sector has long needed a comprehensive approach to safety and wellbeing. The sobering statistics for the year from July 2022 to June 2023 reveal that WorkSafe recorded 14 fatalities in the transport, postal and warehousing sectors. Even more concerning, the count for the first half of 2023 alone stands at nine. These numbers are not just statistics; they serve as a wake-up call louder than a truck horn at 5am.

Enter the HARMfree Transport and Logistics Online Portal, a free-to-access platform aimed at serving health and safety champions, which has garnered industry-wide support since its much-anticipated launch in September. This industry-leading programme is laser-focused on reducing injury across the transport sector and offers practical tools to improve workplace safety and worker wellbeing.

HARMfree Workplace Assessment Tool

A standout feature of the online portal is the HARMfree Workplace Assessment Tool. Designed for HARMfree by Success Formula – a company with more than 20 years of expertise in safety, culture and leadership within the transport and logistics industry – the assessment was developed with input from WorkSafe and ACC and trialled with health and safety champions nationwide. After completing the assessment, you’ll receive a comprehensive report summarising the results and recommending the next steps, making it the ideal starting point for new members.

The assessment serves as an eye-opener, raising awareness of the hazards of psychosocial harm. It prompts you to consider various aspects of wellbeing and work design within your company and provides insights into your strengths and weaknesses, serving as a foundation for goal-setting and prioritisation. A reassessment is recommended every six months to gauge the effectiveness of implemented changes. This is a performance metric for your organisation that can be tracked over time, facilitating a feedback loop for continuous improvement.

HARMfree Online Portal

Health and safety champions can sometimes feel isolated in their daily challenges. These challenges can range from acting as frontline defenders against workplace hazards, ensuring compliance with safety regulations, and promoting a wellbeing culture among workers. To address this, the HARMfree portal features an online forum within its Connect Module. This moderated, safe space serves as an invaluable resource for sharing knowledge and experiences. It enables health and safety champions to connect with their peers and grow their knowledge and practices. The forum is an excellent platform for posing questions to the collective group or responding to queries from other members. Since the launch, we are proud to have a diverse community of health and safety champions from the transport and logistics sector as members.

Building relationships, networking and collaborating with peers through the forum will broaden perspectives on tackling various challenges, offering a range of viewpoints that might not have been considered otherwise. This collective wisdom can be particularly invaluable when dealing with complex or unprecedented issues that don’t have straightforward solutions. When multiple minds focus on a problem, the likelihood of finding a viable solution increases exponentially. It’s the classic case of ‘two heads are better than one’. Engaging with peers meaningfully contributes to continuous self-improvement and professional development. It’s an opportunity for learning – both from the successes and failures of others. This all leads to continuous self-improvement and development, ultimately improving safety outcomes for both workers and organisations.

The long-term objective is to create an industry of safety champions who encourage and support each other in creating safer working environments that excel in health and safety best practices. The HARMfree Online Portal will continually be updated, improved and expanded to keep pace with our evolving industry. By meeting people, sharing ideas, collaborating and gathering information, we are fine-tuning content to meet the needs of our audience.

So, if you’re in the transport and logistics sector and care about safety and wellbeing – and let’s be honest, who doesn’t? – then HARMfree is your next essential destination. Buckle up and enjoy the ride to a safer, happier workplace.

For more information on HARMfree or to become a supporter or partner of the programme, contact programme manager John Sansom on 027 244 5221 or at info@harmfree.nz.