This is a very common question I am asked regularly by potential clients and it is a very hard question to answer. I mean, “how long is a piece of string”. It is like me ringing up my dentist and saying my mouth is sore and asking what is wrong with it, or ringing the mechanic and saying my car is making a funny noise, so how much will it cost to fix it? So, there is some investigating to do…
A past client of ours recently came to us asking, ‘How do I increase my outdoor living area?’ During our site visit, we worked out that a deck/living area to the rear of the house (a standard kiwi home) would not work and a front porch would be the only option for any outdoor living area. Adding a front porch can add value to your home and solve the problem of creating more space. Many…
With our current New Zealand property prices, you might be asking yourself, do I renovate my existing home or purchase another home that has already been renovated? If you sell in this current market, you are also going to buy in this current market. This means, you might get a great sale price, but if you are looking to upgrade from your current living arrangements, you will end up…
I am sitting here with my client, who has asked me if I know much about financing a new home build. I then thought I would write a post, to explain in more detail how the finance process actually works for new built home, and share that the process is not all that hard when you choose the right team. Most people think it is a nerve-racking experience building a new home from scratch. From…
In any workplace where workers may be exposed to a cold or wet environment, employers must make sure that a risk assessment is done before starting work, and that appropriate control measures for all risks are put in place. Working in wet conditions increases the likelihood of slips, trips and falls, and the likelihood of poor visibility. It can also become hard to focus and concentrate…
Are you starting a DIY project or a worker on a small construction site? If so, read the Worksafes Absolutely Essential Toolkit which provides you with the construction Health and Safety Guidelines on how to manage and avoid site problems. By following these not only are you ensuring your own safety but the workers and anybody else who is assisting on the construction sites safety.
Learn about Worksafe’s Building Evacuation Guidelines on how to manage the health and safety risks associated with excavation work.
Sooner or later every tradesman is going to have a building dispute with a client that can’t be resolved by negotiation. You can debate the issues until you’re blue in the face, but one or both of you is going to remain obstinate or is going to be unable or unwilling to see the other party’s point of view. In those situations, people don’t act rationally, especially…
A PCBU has a duty to manage fatigue within the workplace, and workers have a duty to arrive at work fit for duty. The first step to managing fatigue is identifying the contributing factors that increase the risk. Like all hazards, you should try to eliminate them first if reasonably practicable to do so. However this is not always possible, a few minimisation controls are as follows:...