Our team work across multiple construction sites every day, and each one holds its own safety challenges. Some days it’s working with big machinery; other days we’re working on scaffolding at heights or encountering potentially harmful materials.
To ensure our team stays up to date and compliant with best practice, every year we hold two Team Alignment Afternoons focused on health, safety and improving how we work. These sessions give everyone a chance to upskill, stay current, and make sure our standards are consistent across every site.
Our first 2025 session focused on asbestos awareness and electrical safety, with support from a few of our trusted partners.
Asbestos Awareness
This year’s main topic was asbestos. It is one of those areas that everyone knows about, but not always with full clarity on what can and cannot be done. We invited Alannah from SQN, one of New Zealand’s leading environmental consultancies, to talk through asbestos management, testing and training. She covered how to identify asbestos, where it is commonly found, and what to do once it is discovered.
Richard from Smarrs Asbestos Removal followed with a real-world view of the removal process. Smarrs manages all asbestos removals for NZ Builders, so Richard’s session gave the team a clear understanding of how licensed removal works, what types of asbestos they encounter, and how to keep people safe during the process.
These sessions helped clear up a lot of uncertainty about testing requirements, removal limits, and when a licensed contractor must be involved.
Under New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016, all PCBUs must identify asbestos risks, keep a register, and have a management plan. Any work involving more than 10m² of non-friable asbestos, or any friable asbestos, must be done by a licensed removalist, with WorkSafe notified at least five working days before starting. Testing must be done by an accredited lab, and all waste must go to approved landfills.
Having SQN and Smarrs there brought everyone onto the same page. It gave our crews practical clarity on how to manage asbestos correctly and safely on site.
Electrical Safety
Adrian from Tindalls Electrical joined us to cover electrical safety. He walked the team through safe isolation, testing and compliance, including how to de-energise and lock off before starting work. The message was simple: isolate, test, lock, tag. Adrian shared examples of what can go wrong when people take shortcuts and explained how to stay compliant under the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 and AS/NZS 4836.
Everyone brought in their corded power tools, and the Tindalls team PAT-tested each one on site. Every tool left compliant, current and ready to use. We also added currency testers to all of our yellow Health & Safety boxes. These make it easy to check if something is live before work begins and add another layer of safety on site.
Personal and Financial Wellbeing
To round out the afternoon, we had Marc from Coversure join us to talk about personal insurance and protection. The session was particularly useful for team members with families, covering life insurance, income protection and how to make sure cover reflects the realities of working in construction. It was a good reminder that safety is not just about what happens on site, but also about protecting people and their families outside of work.
Wrapping Up
We finished the afternoon with new team photos and a relaxed evening back at our new HQ on Parity Place. It was a productive afternoon that gave everyone practical takeaways and reinforced how we approach safety as part of the job. Thanks to Alannah from SQN, Richard from Smarrs, Adrian from Tindalls Electrical, and Marc from Coversure for sharing their expertise and helping us keep sharp.
