At Cook Brothers Construction, safety is our number one priority. We plan all of our activities to safeguard our team members, our sub-contractors and the public.

Our culture of zero harm means:

• We believe all harm is preventable.
• We consider safety all the time.
• We act safely at all times.
• We can only accept a target injury rate of zero.
• We ensure every member of our team remains fit and healthy so that they can continue to enjoy those things in life that are the most important to them.

What exactly is Zero Harm?
Specifically our targets are that:

• No one requires first aid.
• No one requires medical treatment.
• There is no lost time due to work-related injury or illness.
• There are no work injury claims.
• There are no workplace deaths.

Zero Harm in practice
It's more than just theory and mindset. Where possible, we go beyond legal minimum requirements because we actually want to raise standards throughout the industry.

Training
All workers undergo a safety induction before they can work on site. We require our workers to show that they have successfully finished all required training before they can start work. Many of our staff are very highly trained, well beyond the regulations.

Planning
Safety is built into our design and processes. Before work begins each day, workers meet for a pre-start tool box meeting. They consider the activities that will occur that day and identify any potential hazards so that these can be removed or controlled.

Risk reduction
We take precautions and reduce risk in every way we can, from wearing Personal Protective Equipment to Conducting Specific Task Risk Assessments. We also want to protect the Public and want you to know how you can keep safe around our worksites.

Accountability and Learning
Project Managers are responsible for compiling a Safe Work Methodology Statement (SWMS) for all work. Significant Risks on site are documented in a Task risk Assessment which is reviewed each day. We have rigorous processes to help us learn from incidents and near misses. Many incidents are documented and widely circulated as Safety Alerts, with the aim of identifying lessons learned.

Personal Protective Equipment
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is clothing and apparel designed to maximize safety and minimize risk. All workers must wear PPE on site.
PPE is required because our work is hazardous by nature and we can't eliminate or isolate all hazards. PPE helps us to at least minimize the hazards.

Our minimum PPE on all work sites is:

Steel cap boots
Steel caps protect toes against injury. This is a common type of injury around heavy equipment where toes can be crushed by heavy objects.

High-visibility vest
Site workers need to do everything possible to be seen because they work around heavy machinery controlled by humans, who may have a lot of factors competing for their attention. They may work on or close to roads where members of the community are driving.

Some situations also require:

Hard hat
Head injuries are quite common and often serious. They include concussion, brain injury, dislocation, and soft tissue injuries. Hard hats deflect falling materials from fragile human skulls. They also cushion the impact of stationary and moving hazards at head height.

Gloves
CBC's most common injuries are to hands, fingers and wrists. The injuries include amputations, cuts, bruises, fractures, and dermatitis. Training is required to select and fit the correct safety gloves. Gloves can also protect hands against burns, harmful materials, and blistering.

Earmuffs
Some jobs involve working near equipment that is above safe or comfortable levels of noise exposure. Our workers could suffer permanent hearing loss or impairment without ear protection.

Eye protection
Eyes are especially sensitive and prone to serious injury. 4000 New Zealanders suffer an eye injury at work every year that requires them to take time off. Permanently impaired vision and complete blindness are common.

Safety goggles and glasses protect vulnerable eyes against:

• Hazardous liquids splashes and sprays.
• Grit and sand.
• Sparks.
• Arc light.
• Protruding sticks and bars.
• Fumes.
• Shrapnel from tools and activity like excavation.
• Like gloves, correct selection and fitting are important.