3M awards polytechnic for innovation in health and safety

Otago Polytechnic has won the 3M Award for Innovation in Health and Safety for an iPhone and iPad application it has developed called OP Tools. The interactive app uses video, text and audio to demonstrate the correct and safe way to operate different power tools and other equipment.

OP Tools was developed by third-year IT students Nolan Ratu, Anton Smith and Taua Piri, and design student Matt Norrish, with guidance from staff - Peter Sinclair, Matt Thompson, Mark Miller.

The application uses the latest technology to provide a rich interactive method of delivering content and measuring the learning outcomes for staff and students across multiple departments.

For their success, the team receives $3,000 from 3M towards professional development.

Saya Wahrlich from 3M Safety, Security and Protection Services says 3M and the judging panel were impressed by the Otago Polytechnic’s technological advancement, and that their entry epitomised what the 3M award is all about.

Otago Polytechnic health and safety advisor, Terry Buckingham, was delighted with the win.

“I would like to thank 3M for sponsoring this award, and we are excited to be recipients. It is encouraging to be recognised for our hard work in helping to improve and promote health and safety.”

The team from Bioworks and Greater Wellington Regional Council was awarded second place for their ‘Muzzle’ innovation - a new motorbike exhaust port guard which helps to prevent serious burns from bike accidents.

BioWorks specialises in possum and other predator control and their 17 staff cover about 200,000 hectares of the Wellington Region each year.

Contract co-ordinator, John Hopkirk, says, “Our guys are working on farmland or in bush and it can get pretty steep and rough. They use motorbikes to get around their traps and bait stations, and minor falls at low speed happen from time to time.

We can’t stop that happening, but we can stop them getting burnt, when it does.

“The problem started when two staff suffered painful burns, in separate incidents, after falling off motorbikes and getting a leg trapped against a hot exhaust pipe. Both staff had to have several weeks off while the burns healed.

“The damage was done by a piece of unprotected pipe where the exhaust pipe leaves the engine.

“We’ve got 20 of these motorbikes, so we had to do something to make sure this didn’t happen again.

“When the first guy burnt his leg we wrapped all the pipes in exhaust tape. The bikes are constantly under attack from mud, sand, cow dung and the tape was disintergrating quite quickly and was getting blown off when they washed down their bikes.

“After the second burnt leg, we needed a permanent solution right away. That’s where the idea for exhaust muzzle came in.

“We put our heads together, came up with an idea and shot across to Langlands to see if they could make something to suit. “They put together an exhaust muzzle and we tried it out. It worked brilliantly. It gets warm, but not scorching like the exhaust it’s covering.

“Now we have an exhaust muzzle on every bike.”

Safety NetWorx was awarded third place for their commitment to providing essential and relevant health and safety information for their communities through free-to-attend seminars and workshops.

Ian stretton, one of the founding members of Safety NetWorx and health and safety advisor for Taupo District Council said:

“Most community-based providers and employers know their needs, obligations and responsibilities to effectively manage safe and healthy workplaces for their employees.

“For many, the prohibitive costs and time spent away from the job, meant that many employers could ill-afford to send their health and safety representatives and other staff to training opportunities.

“We sent out invitations and requests for presentations and workshops to the best professional health and safety–related speakers available. The requests and invitations were readily accepted and quickly filled, with others requesting the opportunity to present at subsequent seminars.

“Most speakers gave of their services free of charge, as they, too, recognised an opportunity to do good and give something back to the community. Many presentations and workshops were designed as interactive sessions.

“Case studies and examples of applying the information presented, made the application of the subjects meaningful and of value to attendees.

“By pooling resources, allocating tasks to each member of the Safety NetWorx Team and each member giving freely of their own time, meant that costs could be reduced to a minimum, as there was little budget available to fund the venture.”