Managing safe use of vehicles for forestry workers

In a proactive move towards enhancing safety, Craigmore’s forest manager, PF Olsen Ltd, ran a Professional Operators Day at Tangowahine Forest in Northland prior to the winter planting season.

During planting, operators access areas of the forest on tracks with challenging surfaces, which present critical risks demanding meticulous attention.

The purpose of the day was to provide specialist training sessions aimed at refining the skills of operators of ATV (all-terrain vehicle) and LUV (light utility vehicle). The day focused on risk
prevention, situation recovery, operator maturity and vehicle fitness. The goal was to ensure that ATV/LUV operators are as professional and as safe as possible. The content is based on six key values to empower operators: expertise, insight, adaptability, own it, support and professionalism.

The day was also an opportunity to increase proficiency in the ATV Track Assessment App, developed by PF Olsen as a mobile risk assessment tool for track assessment to produce an ATV route plan, mark up hazards and risks and to communicate changes and updates. Contractors can access the maps through the Field Maps App on any phone or tablet. The app allows  operators the ability to take areas offline, when working in areas of poor coverage.

Hoani Poinga, known as Tetaaki (pictured), crew foreman for a silviculture contractor, who has worked on Craigmore forests for many years, received a prize for correctly answering
a quiz on the day.

By addressing critical risks head-on our forest managers are fostering a culture of safety and professionalism in the industry.