FAQ

Lakes Safety Services is a professional health and safety consultancy located in Taupo and covering the wider North Island, that offers tailored solutions based on professional knowledge and practical experience. With over 25 years of experience spanning multiple sectors and industries, and we are registered with the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) and the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ).

Find out more by checking out our About Page

We offer a range of health and safety consultancy and training solutions, including in-house support, advisory resourcing, health and safety strategy development, tailored training, mentoring, and coaching. We also provide advice on governance and due diligence requirements, health and safety frameworks and systems, and project management. Additionally, we conduct investigations and support assurance requirements with SafePlus Assessments, Health and Safety reviews, and audits.

Lakes Safety Services brings substantial experience across a diverse range of New Zealand industries including including construction and building services, sawmilling, pulp and paper, central and local government, manufacturing, meat and food processing, transport, major hazard facilities, agriculture and education sector.  Our services extend to various business sizes and types, from small family-owned businesses and startups to larger corporations and public service entities. Regardless of the industry, our mission remains steadfast: to enable businesses to effectively manage health and safety, fostering a culture of proactive safety management, and ensuring sustainable success.

At Lakes Safety Services, we believe health and safety doesn’t have to be complicated. We apply a risk-based approach, providing practical advice and solutions that are tailored to your specific needs. We focus on systems-based solutions to support practical health and safety outcomes.

When things go wrong, we can provide fast assistance. Whether it’s dealing with WorkSafe, improvement notices, supporting your internal investigation and legal team, or undertaking an independent investigation for you, we are here to help.

SaferMe is a next generation predictive safety system that is able to provide psychosocial assessments (Safety Snap), online forms, real-time hazard information, customisable workflows, fatigue management, speedy site safety inductions, and contact tracing. As an approved partner with SaferMe, Lakes Safety Services can help you use this toolkit to help reduce work-related injuries and manage risk.

We can help contractors complete “pre-qualification” for jobs and turn this into a straightforward, repeatable process. We can also help businesses identify and manage overlapping duties and responsibilities with other businesses, and develop a Contractor Management framework that suits your business.

Lakes Safety Services is located in Taupō and operates across the North Island, supporting organisations primarily in Taupō, Tūrangi, Rotorua, Waikato, Manawatu, Bay of Plenty, and Hawke’s Bay.

We can assist with the development of your return-to-work process and provide advice on ACC and return-to-work injury management.

We believe in helping our clients so they are able to effectively look after their health and safety requirements by themselves, once we have helped.

However, if required we can offer ongoing support for our clients. We won’t just sell you a system of work or software and leave you to it. Your success matters to us, and we are able to offer ongoing support if you require any.

Our process begins with understanding your business and its specific needs. We then provide tailored, practical advice and solutions that make sense for your business. Our support can range from a few hours per month to full-term cover, depending on your needs.

We provide tailored training, mentoring, and coaching services to build health, safety, and well-being knowledge, skill, and capability. Our training is based on professional knowledge and practical experience, ensuring it is relevant and effective.

We assist businesses in the development and implementation of Risk Management frameworks. By focusing on the enterprise or critical risks and controls, we help create a manageable programme of work that not only keeps people safe but also demonstrates to key stakeholders that you are aware of, and are managing, the critical safety issues.

We can advise on governance and due diligence requirements, assist in the development of governance frameworks and due diligence work programmes, and create due diligence reporting frameworks. We also conduct independent specialist health and safety assurance reviews and offer SafePlus assessments.

By using our services, businesses can effectively manage health and safety, reduce work-related injuries, illness, and fatalities, and ensure compliance with health and safety regulations. Our tailored, practical solutions can help improve your business’s health and safety performance and contribute to a safer, healthier work environment.

We believe in the importance of worker engagement in health and safety. We assist businesses in designing worker engagement practices and provide coaching for staff and committees. We can also leverage advanced reporting, commenting, and sharing features of SaferMe to engage your team, no matter where they are located.

We can help businesses identify and manage the overlapping duties and responsibilities they have with other businesses. We can develop a Contractor Management framework that suits your business, ensuring your pre-qualification, engagement, monitoring, and assurance processes are targeting critical risks and continually assessing the Contractor’s capability to meet your business’s expectations and legal requirements.

In the event of an urgent health and safety issue, we can provide immediate support and advice. Whether it’s dealing with WorkSafe, improvement notices, or supporting your internal investigation and legal team, we are here to help.

What sets us apart is our commitment to providing practical, tailored solutions that are based on professional knowledge and practical experience. We don’t believe in ‘off-the-shelf’ or “cut and paste products from the last client” products or approaches; instead, we work closely with each business to understand their specific needs and provide solutions that make sense for them.

Our work is different each time.

You can reach us through our contact form on our website, or by calling directly directly. We’re always here to answer any questions you may have about our services.

Alternatively email [email protected]

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support and enhance the quality of our services, improve administrative tasks, and help streamline our work. The use of AI enables us to offer more efficient services and solutions while maintaining the high standards you expect from us.

1. Purpose and Use of AI

We employ AI tools to assist with various aspects of our work, including:

• Automating administrative functions to increase efficiency

• Enhancing data analysis and reporting

• Supporting quality control processes

• Improving customer service interactions, such as automated responses or frequently asked questions

AI technology is used to complement, not replace, human judgment. We ensure that AI applications are used ethically and responsibly to improve the services we provide.

2. Compliance with New Zealand Laws

Lakes Safety Services strictly adheres to New Zealand’s laws and regulations, including those related to AI, data privacy, and the protection of personal information. Our AI practices align with the following:

• Privacy Act 2020: We take every step to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your data, ensuring that all AI tools we use comply with New Zealand’s privacy regulations. Personal information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020.

• AI Regulations (if applicable): We remain up to date with developments in AI governance and regulatory standards in New Zealand, ensuring our practices comply with relevant legal frameworks.

3. Data Privacy and Security

We understand the importance of protecting your personal information. The data processed by our AI tools is handled securely, and we implement stringent security measures to safeguard against unauthorised access or misuse. No personal information is used in our AI processes to minimize risk.

4. Transparency and Accountability

We are committed to being transparent about the use of AI in our services. Should you have any questions about how we use AI or the data involved, we are happy to provide clear information. We remain accountable for overseeing the ethical use of AI in our operations.

5. Limitations of AI

While AI is a valuable tool in supporting our services, it is important to note that it is not infallible. The decisions and actions supported by AI tools are always subject to human oversight. In situations where complex judgment or ethical considerations are required, human intervention is always prioritised.

6. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement

We continuously monitor and review our AI tools and systems to ensure they operate as intended, complying with evolving standards and regulations. We strive to improve the effectiveness, accuracy, and ethical use of AI in our business operations.