WorkSafe outlines essential safety tips for workers during storm recovery period

In brief: WorkSafe New Zealand advises everyone joining storm recovery to treat floodwater, silt and debris as contaminated, isolate and test electrical equipment before switching anything on, and assume damaged building sheeting contains asbestos until laboratory results prove otherwise.

As efforts to clean up and rescue continue in areas affected by the storm, New Zealand’s workplace safety watchdog reminds employees to be mindful of the risk that arises in the wake of severe weather incidents.

Various parts of New Zealand are facing challenges such as flooding, landslips, downed electrical lines, debris, and waterlogged terrain.

WorkSafe’s Acting Northern Regional Manager Jason Gibson said it is crucial for workers to recognise the potential effects of these changes on their circumstances.

“For floodwater, silt and debris there’s a high risk it’s contaminated with things like farm run-off, sewage and chemicals which can make you sick. For workers involved in the cleanup, they need to take precautions like wearing appropriate PPE,” he said.

Understanding the risk left behind by flooding

Recovery sites shift hour by hour. Ground that seemed stable yesterday may now hide a collapsed drain, a submerged pit or a live cable beneath soft mud.

Treat each location as unfamiliar territory. Reassess conditions whenever crews return, and brief newcomers on what changed overnight.

Electrical dangers around water and debris

Assume every fallen conductor remains energised. Notify your lines company immediately, hold bystanders well back, and never pull branches free from electrical infrastructure yourself.

Submerged switchboards, pumps and portable tools must be isolated, tagged and inspected by a licensed electrician before power returns. Silt trapped inside an enclosure holds moisture for weeks, so a dry-looking case proves nothing. Our guide to electrical safety tips covers testing and tagging habits worth applying year-round.

Generators brought in during outages add a second layer of electrical exposure: back-feed into the network, carbon monoxide indoors, and overloaded leads lying through puddles. Site generating equipment outdoors on dry footing, then route electrical leads overhead wherever practical.

Treat suspect sheeting as asbestos

Older homes, sheds and farm buildings throughout affected districts still contain bonded asbestos sheeting in walls, eaves and roofing. Once wind and water break those sheets apart, fibres migrate with silt and rubbish piles.

Never sweep, water-blast or dry-cut broken panels. Dampen fragments lightly, double-bag them, and arrange collection through a licensed asbestos removalist where quantities exceed regulated thresholds. Councils in flood-hit regions frequently open dedicated asbestos disposal streams — confirm requirements before loading a trailer.

Check every piece of equipment before it goes to work

Machinery dragged out of storage or borrowed from a neighbour rarely arrives in known condition. Pre-start inspections protect operators and prevent secondary damage.

• Pumps and hoses: verify seals, guarding and earthing before dewatering equipment enters service.
• Chainsaws: sharpen chains, test brakes, then pair cutting equipment with helmets, visors and protective chaps.
• Earthmovers: grease pivots and inspect hydraulics; heavy equipment sinking into saturated ground destabilises within seconds.
• Access gear: ladders and scaffold equipment demand level, firm footing — mud offers neither.
• Respiratory protection: P2 masks and fit-tested equipment shield lungs from silt dust plus mould spores.
• Lifting attachments: slings, shackles and rigging equipment lose rated capacity once frayed or chemically fouled.

Record findings on a digital job safety analysis template so equipment defects, exclusion zones and agreed controls stay visible to everyone onsite.

Tag out anything doubtful. Red-tagging faulty equipment costs a few minutes; an amputation or electrocution costs immeasurably more.

Environmental and health precautions during cleanup

Floodwater carries farm run-off, sewage, fuel and hazardous residues, which means environmental contamination and worker illness arrive together.

Anyone doing flood recovery work should maintain good personal hygiene: wash before eating, dress every cut, and change out of soiled clothing before travelling home. Ensure regular hydration using clean drinking water carried to site, since local supplies may sit under a boil notice.

Environmental agencies and regional councils publish daily advisories covering water quality, tip openings and restricted zones — review those bulletins each morning.

Silt drying under sunshine turns airborne. Wet it down, stand upwind, and keep hazardous liquids such as diesel, lubricants and farm sprays inside bunded containers so a repeat inundation does not spread contamination further.

Housekeeping that prevents the next incident

• Make sure drains and gutters are clear so runoff drains somewhere sensible.
• Maintain clear emergency access for ambulances and fire appliances at all times.
• Roster rest times and rotate crews; marathon shifts erode judgement quickly.
• Segregate general debris from recyclables and regulated waste streams.
• Store environmental spill kits beside refuelling points and pump stations.

Duty of care on storm-affected worksites

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, a PCBU owes primary obligations toward employees, volunteers and visitors alike. Urgency does not suspend those duties.

Neighbours pitching in deserve the same standard of care as paid staff: a proper induction, correct PPE, and supervision matched to experience.

Lone operators warrant extra care — scheduled check-ins matter when mobile coverage drops out. Our 10 safety tips for working alone set out practical methods. Wellbeing conversations form part of that care too, because rebuilding grinds on long after news cameras depart.

What WorkSafe wants employees involved in cleanup to remember

• Reassess risk at the start of every shift; yesterday’s controls may no longer suit.
• Avoid working solo near deep water, leaning structures or unsupported trenches.
• Match equipment to the task instead of forcing whatever happens to be nearby.
• Escalate anything beyond your competence — specialist environmental and demolition operators exist for sound reasons.
• Document decisions so the following crew inherits knowledge, not risk.

Regulators across the Tasman have taken parallel steps, including a recent workplace safety funding boost for Victorian workers.

Organisations rebuilding documentation after the deluge can shorten paperwork cycles with safety documents for New Zealand businesses, covering site rules, plant and equipment registers, and induction records.

Crews restoring commercial premises may also value an integrated management system for cleaning when standardising chemical handling, equipment maintenance and final sign-off.

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