Taranaki entrepreneur Linda Cook has won a special commendation at the 2012 Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards, held at the Sky City Convention Centre in Auckland 30th May.
Linda Cook’s market leading dairy innovation, Safe Rise Platforms received a surprise special commendation at last night’s awards, presented by Samantha Hayes and attended by more than 420 guests.
The Awards celebrate the very best health and safety initiatives in New Zealand workplaces and primarily feature large organisations like Countdown, Fonterra and Coca Cola.
“I’m delighted Safe Rise has been singled out amongst this calibre of competition. I designed Safe Rise Platforms to help make the lives of farmers and vets easier and safer while working in rotary dairy sheds. It’s great to be able to make a positive difference to New Zealand’s dairy industry.”
Formally an occupational health nurse, Linda Cook designed Safe Rise Platforms to help prevent workplace injuries on the farm. While working in a cow shed in Taranaki, Linda spotted a number of health and safety hazards and decided to research workplace accidents on the farm to see if these posed a significant risk to workers.
“I spoke with farmers, vets, ACC and the Department of Labour and found that a lot of accidents happened when farm workers and vets slipped or fell off makeshift planks and platforms which are commonly used in rotary milking sheds, so workers can reach and treat their cows,” says Linda.
“Our Platform ensures farmers and vets are at the best height and position to treat and attend to dairy veterinary tasks. At the push of a button, farmers, vets or workers can adjust their platform to reach and treat animals without having to strain their backs, or move unsafe make-shift platforms,” says Linda.
Made and manufactured in New Zealand, Safe Rise platforms are the only automatic height-adjustable platform on the market. After years of development, five prototypes and on-going testing with local farmers, Safe Rise Platforms are now available New Zealand wide.
“We have a long way to go before they’re a household name in New Zealand rotary sheds, but when it comes to the safety of farmers, vets and farm workers it’s about preventing accidents and everyone going home in one piece at the end of the day,” says Linda.
This is not the first award Safe Rise Platforms have received in recent times. They were also named as one of Taranaki’s top three finalists in last year’s ANZ Business Plan Awards.
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