Free safety event for tradies amid rising theft
North Canterbury tradies are being urged to brush up on their workplace safety know-how at a free community breakfast event at Placemakers Kaiapoi, hosted by AMI insurance.
The expo-style event comes amid a growing trend in burglaries from construction sites and thefts from trades vehicles.
The free event will offer a broad range of practical tips and demonstrations to help trades people keep their gear secure, reduce the risk of workplace accidents and improve general safety for themselves and the wider community.
AMI Community Risk Advocate, Gary Rennie, says events like these are a great opportunity for small businesses to gain direct access to safety expertise.
“Our tradie customers tell us it can be tough to find the time and resources to keep their teams up to date with the latest safety information and education. We’re hoping this free event will help address that, while at the same time set attendees up for the day with a free breakfast and coffee for the road,” Mr Rennie said.
New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) and driver safety experts AutoSense and Fleetcoach are among several local organisations on board for the event.
Canterbury Rural Police Area Prevention Manager, Senior Sergeant Greg Cottam, says, “We are keen to take part and help raise awareness of the steps trades people can take to protect themselves to prevent and deter theft from happening.”
The Police will offer advice around how to reduce the risk of becoming a target for thieves, with a free tool engraving service available on site, plus examples of other tracking technologies that could help protect more expensive assets.
FENZ will be onsite discussing the importance of having and using fire extinguishers on worksites in case of fire. They will also promote fire safety tips to help tradies make it through the remainder of the fire season safely.
Fleetcoach will be on site to help drivers identify and respond better to driving hazards. Attendees will get the chance to have a go with their award-winning training system on a big screen.
Autosense will also be there to provide their state-of-the-art driving simulator, demonstrating how different vehicle classes will respond to different hazards.
Mr Rennie says, “AMI will always be there to help our tradie customers recover from an accident or disaster – but we know the best medicine is always prevention. We are really pleased to be able to host an event to help boost safety among our local tradies and the communities they look after.”
The event at Placemakers Kaiapoi will run 6:30 - 8am on Friday 26th February. There is no need to pre-register, just turn up on the day and check in at the registration desk.