Safety conference highlight: Forestry workplace culture and technology brings results

A major national conference on forest safety practices is set to showcase how forestry leaders have brought about practical benefits to logging and forestry workplaces through changes in culture and technology.

“Some of our leading forest contractors and companies have developed safety improvements in both technologies and culture in the workplace to reduce harm on the forest floor,” says Forest Industry Engineering Association event manager, Gordon Thomson.

Registrations are now open for the August 2018 conference series running in Rotorua and Melbourne. Thanks to great support industry, led by principal event partners McFall Fuel and VicForests, a special on-line early-bird delegate registration offer is now available for a limited time. To take advantage of this offer go to https://forestsafety.events

“Our August conference series has a great line up of inspiring and practical speakers. Many of them have already delivered safety outcomes for their teams and clients. The practical information they will bring includes some notable results with industry leading contractors,” adds Thomson.

“FIEA has once again teamed up with the Forest Industry Safety Council (FISC) to organise a workshop in addition to our one-day conference,” says Thomson. “Here in New Zealand we have worked with Fiona Ewing of FISC. FISC will host a workshop after the conference so people can interact in a workshop format.”

In Australia, there is a pan-industry workshop on the afternoon before the FIEA conference – from 1 to 5pm on 14th August, also at the Bayview Eden Hotel in Melbourne. FIEA has worked with Diana Lloyd of Forestworks in Australia as well as Stacey Gardiner from Australian Forest Contractors Association.

Some of our ‘must-see’ keynote speakers are:

  • Jono Brent from Connetics in Christchurch – A practical leader of electrical contractors with a very applicable model explaining how they “do safety differently” so that it works for their practical people working in the field every day with changing conditions, just like those faced by forestry people. Jono’s teamwork results are proven through their results in practice and put in place in the aftermath of the Canterbury earthquakes.
  • Hillary Bennett – A practical thought leader and champion of safety culture change with many forestry crews in both New Zealand and Australia;
  • Dale Ewers – An industry innovator and director of both Moutere Logging and international forest automation equipment manufacturer, DC Equipment.

Our industry-leading speakers are all practical leaders and safety champions. They have come forward to support the 4th FIEA Forest Safety & Technology Conference. This conference series sold out in 2017 and is running again in August 2018 in Rotorua and Melbourne.

The event is on 8th August in Rotorua at the Distinction Hotel. The following week – 15th March – it runs at the Bayview Eden Hotel in Melbourne. For full conference details see: www.forestsafety.events