14 JUNE, 2013 - Environment
Minister Amy Adams says she is pleased with
the strong demand for a new multimedia toolbox
to help businesses understand and manage
the risks posed by hazardous substances.
Two weeks since Ms Adams
launched the resource, more than 1500 orders
have been made for the toolbox.
The toolbox is designed
to help businesses, particularly small businesses,
understand and manage the risks posed by
hazardous substances.
It includes a guide
to working safely with hazardous substances,
an emergency response plan, posters to use
in the workplace, animated safety videos
and a calculator, which allows businesses
to enter a list of their hazardous substances
and learn what key safety controls they
must have in place.
“Between 500 and 800
New Zealanders die every year because of
industrial illness, many due to exposure
to hazardous substances. Many of these deaths
are preventable with the right safety measures
in place,” Ms Adams says.
“Chronic health problems
caused by exposure to hazardous substances
such as paint, solvents and liquid agrichemicals
all too often lead to disabilities and early
death. That is simply not good enough and
attitudes in the workplace have to change.
“Businesses need to
take responsibility for making sure they
follow the rules for hazardous substances,
which are designed to reduce the risks to
workers.”
The multimedia toolbox
is one of a series of measures Ms Adams
has introduced in response to concerns about
workplace compliance.
A comprehensive review
of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms
legislation is underway to determine if
the regime is fit for purpose with regard
to hazardous substances.
The Environmental Protection
Authority (EPA) will soon launch a three-year
$1.35 million campaign to raise public awareness
about safely managing hazardous substances
both at home and at work.
“We need to end the
Kiwi ‘she’ll be right’ attitude. This attitude
is literally killing us.
“The EPA’s campaign
will make people aware of the simple actions
they can take to prevent exposure to hazardous
substances.”
To order a free toolbox
go to: www.hazardoussubstances.govt.nz/toolbox
or phone 0800 376 234.
+ More
More funding for red
zone hazardous waste disposal
Amy Adams7 JUNE, 2013
- Environment Minister and Associate Minister
for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Amy Adams
has today announced a further $500,000 of
funding to safely dispose of hazardous household
waste from residential red zone houses.
Today’s announcement
takes total government funding for the programme
to more than $1 million.
Ms Adams says the first
stage of the project collected more hazardous
waste than originally expected, so the Government
has stepped up and increased funding for
the initiative.
“With 7860 properties
identified in the red zone in Christchurch,
it is important that any hazardous household
materials, such as cleaning products, paint,
LPG, and garden sprays, are removed and
disposed of in a safe and environmentally-sound
way,” Ms Adams says.
“Not only does this
project manage the safe disposal of hazardous
waste, it also provides valuable information
about the types of waste found in the typical
New Zealand home.
“It is also a timely
reminder to all New Zealanders that if they
have any hazardous waste around the house,
they should dispose of it safely.”
Through the clean-up
programme, a mobile service will collect
hazardous waste from the red zone properties
prior to demolition.
The scheme, which is
being run in partnership with Environment
Canterbury, Christchurch City Council and
Waimakariri District Council, is due to
be completed by the end of the year. More
than 360 tonnes of waste is expected to
be collected.
The Government is funding
about 76 per cent of the project from the
Waste Minimisation Fund, with the rest of
the money coming from the councils.
Money for the Waste Minimisation Fund comes
from a levy charged on waste disposed of
at landfills.
To date, the Government has allocated $43.3
million in funding for 83 projects through
the fund.
