Health and safety at work

Keeping yourself and others safe,

protective clothing and equipment,
and signs

Workbook 1
Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 2
Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 5
Reasons why you need to know about health and safety ....................................... 5
Welcome to Workbook 1 ......................................................................................... 6
Reading, writing, speaking and listening skills ........................................................ 7
Finding your way around the workbooks ................................................................ 9
Reading for a purpose .......................................................................................... 12
Word list for Workbook 1 ...................................................................................... 14

New Zealand laws about safety............................................................................. 15

What employees have to do under the Act ........................................................... 17

Responsibilities and rights ................................................................................... 20

Protective clothing ................................................................................................. 22

Stopping injuries ................................................................................................... 26

Protective equipment ............................................................................................. 28

Safe personal behaviour ........................................................................................ 30

What is skylarking? ............................................................................................... 32

Signs at work .......................................................................................................... 33

Five types of safety signs ..................................................................................... 35
Signs and symbols................................................................................................ 37

Penalties ................................................................................................................. 40

Glossary .................................................................................................................. 43

Word cards ............................................................................................................. 44

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 3

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 4
Introduction
In New Zealand in 2008, 72 people died from accidents at work.

In the same year, there were 224,900 reports of work-related

injuries.

You need to know all about health and safety at your work. This is the first of four
workbooks about health and safety at work. You will already know some of the
information in these workbooks, and some of it will be new information.

Reasons why you need to know about health and safety

Look at this list. Tick the reasons why you need to know about health and safety at
work:
 Because it’s the law.
 For my family.
 For my employer (boss).
 So I can decide if something isn’t safe.
 So I don’t lose my job.
 Because it costs the New Zealand taxpayer lots of money.
 So I don’t get into trouble.
 For myself.
 For the other people at work.
 Because I could be off work for a long time. How many did you tick?

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 5

Welcome to Workbook 1
This workbook contains information about:

 keeping yourself and others safe at work

 wearing protective clothing

 using protective equipment

 reading workplace signs.

Reading, writing,
Health and safety
speaking and listening
By the end of this workbook,
you will be able to: By the end of this workbook,
you will have:

describe what the law says identified what you

you have to do to keep already know about health
yourself and others safe at and safety
work

identify the protective learnt new health and

clothing you have to wear at safety words
work

identify the protective developed your reading

equipment you have to use skills
at work

identify the five types of

developed your writing
safety signs and what they
mean
skills

identify the signs used at

your work and what they developed your speaking
mean skills

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 6

Reading, writing, speaking and listening skills
These workbooks are not just about health and safety. They also include activities
that will help develop your reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. Health and
safety at work uses all of these skills.
At work, you have to:

Read signs

Report accidents

Talk to your team

mates about a hazard

Listen to people talking

at the health and safety
meeting

Because reading, writing, speaking and listening are so important, there are lots of
activities in these workbooks for you to do at work and home so you can develop
these skills.

And here’s the good news…

When you have finished all the activities in the four workbooks, you will be able to
talk to your trainer about being assessed against:

 health and safety unit standards in your industry, for example, Unit Standard 497
Demonstrate knowledge of workplace health and safety requirements (version 7)
Level 1, 3 credits

 Unit Standard 25060 Independently read texts for practical purposes and to gain
knowledge (version 1) Level 1, 6 credits

 Unit Standard 3490 Complete an incident report (version 5) Level 1, 2 credits.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 7

Are you ready?

OK, let’s go!

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 8

Finding your way around the workbooks
Here are some things that will help you find your way around these workbooks.

There are text features in all the workbooks to help you know where
you are, what you are learning and what you need to do. Text
features are like road signs.

The text features in this workbook

Contents page at the beginning of the workbook – tells you what’s in

the workbook and what page it’s on.

Headings and subheadings – tell you what you are learning.

Word list – gives you a list of special words used in this workbook.

Icons – little pictures that help you to know what to do:

 Reminder – this box reminds you about something you have !

learnt before.

 Information - this box has extra information that is important.

i

 Workplace activity – when you see this, there will be

an activity for you to do at your workplace.

 This activity builds your reading skills.

 This activity builds your writing skills.

 This activity builds your speaking skills.

Glossary – this is a list of words and their meanings at the back of

each workbook. As you go through each workbook, more words are
added to the glossary. There is space so you can add your own
words as well.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 9

 Reading activity – text features
Before you start, go through this workbook and find an example of
each of these text features. Write down the page number where
you found the text feature and what helped you find it. The first one
has been done as an example for you.

Text feature Page What helped you find it?

number
Contents 2 I know that contents pages are at the
front of documents (indexes are at the
back).

Heading

Subheading

Word list

Workplace
activity

Reading icon

Writing
icon

Speaking
icon

Remember icon
!

Information
i

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 10

 Writing activity – health and safety
What do you already know about health and safety at work?
Make some notes about what you know under each heading on
this page.

Health and safety laws:

Safety clothing you have to Safety equipment you have

wear at work: What do you to use at work:
already know
about health
and safety at
work?

Safety rules you have to

follow at work:

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 11

Reading for a purpose
Did you know that, when you read something, you are reading for a purpose?
Here are two examples.

Your purpose – so you can check you get the right pay each week

Document
Your purpose – so you don’t miss your favourite TV programmes

Your purpose – to find out what friends and family are doing
through emails.

Reading activity – reading for a purpose

Write down three documents you have read recently and the
purpose (why) you read them.

Document

Document

Document

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 12

 Reading activity – reading for a purpose
What are your purposes for reading this workbook? You might
have more than one purpose.

Health and
safety workbook

Health and
safety workbook

Health and
safety workbook

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 13

Word list for Workbook 1
Here are some words used in this workbook and what those words mean.

Word Means
Behaviour The way a person does things.

Cautionary Warning you of danger.

Mandatory Something you must do.

Protective clothing Clothing you have to wear to keep you safe at work,
for example, safety glasses.

Protective equipment Things you use to keep yourself safe, for example,
guards on machines.

PPE Personal protective equipment.

Prohibition Saying you must not do something.

Responsibilities Things you or your employer has to do.

Rights Something someone has to do for someone else.

Reading and speaking activity – learning new words

Highlight or circle the words you already know in the list above.
You only have to learn the words that are not circled or
highlighted.

Learning new words

Here is something you can do to learn those words. There is a list of the words and
their meanings on the last page of this workbook. Cut that page up to make cards.
Use these cards to match the word to the meanings.

mandatory something you must

do

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 14

New Zealand laws about safety
In New Zealand, there are a lot of laws that keep people safe.

Laws Act

Driving laws

Land Transport Act 1998

Gun laws

Arms Act 1983

Food safety laws

Food Act 1981

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 15

Did you know that there is a law to make sure you are safe at work?
It is called the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992. An Act is a law passed
by Parliament. Acts have to be followed, and usually there is a government
department that makes sure this happens. The Department of Labour makes sure
the Health and Safety in Employment Act is followed.
In these workbooks, the Health and Safety in Employment Act is called ‘the Act’.
The purpose of the Act is to stop people getting harmed either at work or near their
workplace.

Laws Act
Safety at work laws

Health and Safety in Employment Act

1992

Remember, every time you read, you have a purpose for reading. It’s
! the same with writing. Every time someone writes something, they
have a purpose for writing it.

Look at this table:

Document Purpose of the person

writing the document
Shopping list So you can remember what to buy.
Shift report So that the new shift knows what has
happened.

Stop sign Tell people that they need to stop.

Health and Safety in Employment Act To make a law with rules so people
1992 don’t get hurt or sick at work.

The Act contains sections with rules to make sure you are safe and healthy at work.
All workers are protected by the Act. This Act applies to you even if you only work
part-time or have a casual job.
Everyone at work is responsible for making sure that the workplace is safe and
healthy.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 16

 What employees have to do under the Act
Section 19 says what employees have to do to keep themselves and others safe at
work.
Section 19 comes
This is the title of the This means
under this part of the
section. you have to
Act.
use the
Part 2 safety
Duties relating to health and safety in employment equipment
your
employer
19 Duties of employees provides.
 Every employee shall take all practicable steps to ensure—
This is the (a) the employee's safety while at work (including by using suitable
section protective clothing and suitable protective equipment provided by
number.
the employer or, if section 10(4) applies, suitable protective clothing
provided by the employee himself or herself); and
This means you (b) that no action or inaction of the employee while at work causes
have to wear the
safety clothing harm to any other person.
your employer
gives you. This means that you
can’t forget to do
This means you something and then
can’t do someone gets hurt at
anything that work.
hurts someone
at work.

Under Section 19 of the Act, you are responsible for:

On the next page are some examples from different workplaces where employees
have not followed Section 19.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 17

 Writing activity – an accident at work
Think about when someone has hurt themselves or someone else
at work. Write down what happened and whether it was an action
that caused the injury (the person did something) or inaction (the
person forgot to do something).

What happened?

Action or inaction?

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 18

 Workplace activity – safety rules
Ask your supervisor or team leader for a copy of the safety rules
for your workplace. Show your supervisor this workbook if they
want to know why. Make sure you read the rules. If you don’t
understand them, ask your supervisor or team leader or union
delegate to explain them to you.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 19

Responsibilities and rights
Under Section 19, you have a responsibility to keep yourself and others safe under
the Act. That means your employer has a right to expect you to do those things
under the Act.

Your responsibilities Your employer’s rights

 Under Section 19, you are
responsible to keep yourself and
others safe at work. This means
you need to wear your protective
clothing and use protective
equipment.
 You are also responsible to
make sure you don’t hurt other
people at work.
 This means that your employer
has the right to expect that you
will keep yourself and others safe
at work.
 Your employer also has a right to
expect that you will wear your
protective clothing and use
protective safety equipment.
 Your employer and your team
mates have the right to expect
that you won’t hurt them.

Speaking activity – talking to people about their behaviour

If you see someone who is not keeping themselves or others safe
at work, you need to say something to them. Here are some
ways you could talk to them depending on the situation:

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 20

 Writing activity – parts of the body
Draw a line between each body part and its name. Some have been
done for you.

fingers

From Workcover Corporation SA and Workplace Education Services TAFE SA (2002) Workplace Health and Safety Training.
Australia.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 21

Protective clothing

Writing activity – protective clothing and your body

Before you start this part of the workbook, try and fill in as much of
this table as you can. The first two have been done for you.

Protective clothing What part of the Protective What part of the

I wear at work body does it clothing I wear at body does it
protect? work protect?

Ears
Earmuffs Ear plugs

Eyes
Safety glasses
Face shield

Hard hat
Overalls

Safety gloves Disposable gloves

Safety boots Gumboots

Hi-vis jacket Face mask

Breathing apparatus Welding mask

If you think you already know all about the protective clothing you have to wear at
work, go to page 23 of this workbook.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 22

 Section 19 says that employees must wear suitable protective clothing to keep
themselves safe and healthy at work.

Reading and writing activity – protective clothing

Look at the pictures below. Tick the protective clothing you have
to wear at work. In the box at the bottom of the page, write down
any other protective clothing you have to wear.

At work, protective clothing includes:

Earmuffs Hard hat Safety glasses Apron

Safety boots Hi-vis jacket Breathing Ear plugs

apparatus

Face shield Overalls Safety gloves Safety goggles

Gumboots Face mask Disposable gloves Welding mask

Other protective clothing you have to wear:

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 23

 Reading activity – matching words
Look at the pictures of personal protective clothing. Match them up
with the correct words. One has been done for you as an example.

Apron

Welding mask

Safety glasses

Hard hat

Face shield

Breathing apparatus

Overalls

Earplugs

Earmuffs

Safety boots

Safety gloves

Hi-vis jacket

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 24

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 25
Stopping injuries
You wear protective clothing so you won’t get injured or sick. Your protective
clothing protects particular parts of your body. For example, earmuffs protect your
ears from very loud noise. Earplugs protect your ears too, but they only protect you
from loud noise, not very loud noise.

Writing activity – protective clothing and injuries

Look at the table below and on the next page. For each piece of
protective clothing, write down what injury it stops.

The first two have been done for you.

Protective What injury does Protective What injury does

clothing I wear at it stop? clothing I wear at it stop?
work work

Deafness from
very loud noise
Earmuffs Ear plugs

Splinters from
wood or metal
Safety gloves
Face shield

Hard hat
Overalls

Safety glasses Disposable gloves

Safety boots
Welding mask

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 26

 Writing activity – protective clothing and Injuries (continued)
Fill in the rest of this table. In the blank spaces, write in the names
of other protective clothing you have to wear and the injury it stops.

Protective What injury does Protective What injury does

clothing I wear at it stop? clothing I wear at it stop?
work work

Hi-vis jacket Gumboots

Breathing Face mask

apparatus

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 27

Protective equipment
Section 19 also says you have to use protective equipment at work.

Reading activity – protective equipment

Protective equipment stops you getting hurt and sick at work.
Tick the protective equipment you use at work.

Protective equipment can be something you wear, something you use or something
fitted to machinery you operate.
Protective equipment can include:

Fire extinguisher High pressure hose Breathing apparatus

Sign saying ‘wet floor’ Lock out card Safety harness

Knife blocks Hoist Set of mobile steps

Safety rails on steps Guards around a saw Extractor fan

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 28

 Writing activity – protective equipment
Write down the protective equipment you use at work. One
example has been done for you.

Protective equipment I Protects me and others Do you wear it, use it or

have to use from is it part of machinery
you operate?

Fire extinguisher Fires and smoke Use it

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 29

Safe personal behaviour
Section 19 also says you have to make sure you don’t hurt or harm yourself or other
people at work. This means you have to follow all the safety rules at work.

Reading and writing activity – personal behaviour

Fill in this diagram about safe personal behaviour.

Who is responsible for

behaving safely?

Safe personal
behaviour
Who has a right to
expect you to behave Which section of the
safely? Act covers this?

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 30

 Reading activity – safe personal behaviour
Look at this list of safe personal behaviour. Tick the things on the
list that you have to do at your work. Write down any other things
you have to do.

 Tie your hair back if it is long so it doesn’t get caught in machinery

 Wear your uniform
 Don’t wear any jewellery
 Don’t chew gum
 Wash your footwear and hands when you go into work areas
 Remind other people at work to wear their protective clothing
 Don’t smoke at work
 Remind other people at work to use protective equipment.
 Don’t take drugs







How many did you tick? ____________________________

How many more did you add? ____________________________

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 31

What is skylarking?
Sometimes health and safety rules talk about “skylarking” or “horsing around” or
“playing the fool”. All these mean the same thing. They mean you are not behaving
in a safe way.

No No No fooling
skylarking horsing around
around

You have already read this story.

Harry was skylarking when he pushed Aaron into the machine.

Writing activity – talking to people at work

Earlier in this workbook, you read about some ways you could talk
to other people at work about doing things that weren’t safe.
Think about another situation at work where someone’s behaviour
isn’t safe. Write down what the behaviour is and what you would
say to them. Practise saying it with a friend.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 32

Signs at work
Your workplace will have lots of signs about health and safety. Your employer has
put up signs to tell you about hazards at work. Signs are a way of managing
hazards in your workplace.
There are five types of signs. They mean different things. The signs are all different
colours and different shapes.

Writing activity
See what you already know about workplace signs by filling in the
diagram below. It doesn’t matter if you can’t fill in all the
information. There is more information later on in the workbook.

Prohibition Cautionary Mandatory Safety Fire

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 33

Look at the examples of these different signs:

Some signs give you instructions. This means the signs are telling you what to do:

You must wear earmuffs in this area

Other signs give you information:

Danger – electricity

Responsibilities about
Rights about signs
signs

Your employer is responsible for You have a right to expect that there
putting up signs to tell you about will be signs at work to tell you if
things at work that could hurt you. something could hurt you.

Your employer has a right to expect

You are responsible for reading the
that you will read and follow safety
signs.
signs.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 34

Five types of safety signs

Prohibition – you must not

Red circle with a diagonal line through it
with a picture or words inside.
Instructions sign

Cautionary – be careful
Yellow triangle with a black border with
a picture or words inside.
Information sign

Mandatory – you must wear this

Blue circle with a picture or words
inside.
Instructions sign

Safety – this sign is about safety

Green square or rectangle.
Information sign

Fire – this sign is about fire

Red square with words or picture inside.
Information sign

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 35

 Writing activity – safety signs
Your workplace will also have a lot of other signs. Look at these
signs. Write under each sign whether it is a prohibition,
cautionary, mandatory, safety or fire sign. Some of the signs are
more than one type. One has been done for you.

Prohibition

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 36

Signs and symbols
Safety signs give important safety information. The shape and colour of each sign
give you general information. The picture, symbol or writing in the sign gives more
specific information.
Safety signs can be:

Pictures only.

Words only.

Sometimes both pictures and words.

Warning signs can be put up

for a short period of time.
This sign will be removed
when the wet area is dry.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 37

Here is how you read a safety sign.

Sign Symbol Do not use a

(do not) (mobile phone) mobile phone

A green rectangle
The words on
gives you
each of these
information about
signs give you
safe conditions.
more information.

A yellow triangle
warns you of
something
dangerous.

A blue circle tells

you that you must
do something.

A red circle with a

line through tells you
that you must not
do something. These signs do not have
any written words, but you
can work out their meaning
from the shape and colour
A red square points of the sign and the symbol
out where fire- on the sign.
fighting equipment
is kept.

Copied from Department for Education and Skills (2005) Skills for Life Materials for Embedded Learning. U.K.: Crown.
Retrieved 3 June 2010 from http://rwp.qia.oxi.net/embeddedlearning.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 38

 Reading and writing activity – what do these signs mean?
Using the information in this table, write down what you think each
sign means:

Shape Colour Extra visual Means

A red circle with a

line through is
prohibition. It
means you must
not do something.

A blue circle is
mandatory. It
means you must
do something.

A yellow triangle
cautions or warns
you about a
danger. It means
look out or watch
out.

A green square or
rectangle gives
you information
about safe
places or things.

A red square gives

you information
about fire
equipment.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 39

Penalties
If you do not carry out your responsibilities under Section 19 of the Act, the
Department of Labour can charge you. For a long time, not many people were
charged under Section 19, but over the last 10 years, there have been a number of
charges against individuals – usually because they have not kept others safe at
work.
Even if you are not charged by the Department of Labour, you could be given a
verbal or written warning by your employer or, in some very serious situations, you
might be sacked.

If you don’t understand something about health and safety at

i work, you must ask someone to explain it to you. If you

don’t understand, you could get injured or injure someone
else. Always ask if you don’t understand.

Case Study
Three forestry employees were charged under Section
19.
Ron was cutting down a tree. Ron knew two other
employees (Doug and John) were too close to the tree
according to their company’s safety rules. Doug and
John knew they were too close as well. Ron thought he
could make the tree fall away from Doug and John.
When the tree fell, it hit John and he had to go to hospital
for a few weeks. Ron was charged under Section 19(a)
for not keeping himself safe and under Section 19(b) for
not keeping Doug and John safe.
Doug was charged under Section 19(a) for not keeping
himself safe.
John was charged under Section 19(a) for not keeping
himself safe.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 40

Congratulations! You have finished the first workbook.

Reading, writing,
Health and safety
speaking and listening
Now you can:
You have also:

describe what the law says

identified what you
you have to do to keep already know about
yourself and others safe at health and safety
work

learnt new health

identify the protective and safety words
clothing you have to wear at
work

developed your
identify the protective
reading skills
equipment you have to use
at work

developed your
identify the five types of writing skills
safety signs and what they
mean

identify the signs used at developed your

your work and what they speaking skills
mean

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 41

Now, choose two things you are going to do based on what you learnt. They could
be things you are going to do at home or at work. You need to do these two things
before you start Workbook 2.
Here are a couple of examples. One is about health and safety, and one is about
reading, writing, speaking and listening:

Action card: Action card:

Health and safety Reading, writing, speaking and
listening

By the end of two weeks By the end of two weeks

(date: _________): (date: _________):
I am going to get a fire extinguisher I am going to learn the rest of the
for home so I can teach everyone words in the word list so I can use
how to use it. them at work.

Now fill in your action cards.

Action card:
Action card:
Health and safety Reading, writing,
speaking and listening
By ___________ By ___________
I am going I am going
to_____________________ to_____________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
_______________________ _______________________
____________ ____________

so I can
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
____________
so I can
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
_______________________
____________

If you are not sure what to do, talk to your trainer about your action cards.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 42

Glossary
Word Means
Behaviour The way a person does things.

Cautionary Warning you of danger.

Mandatory Something you must do.

PPE Personal protective equipment.

Prohibition Saying you must not do something.

Protective clothing Clothing you have to wear to keep you safe at work,
for example, safety glasses.

Protective equipment Things you use to keep yourself safe, for example,
guards on machines.

Responsibilities Things you or your employers have to do.

Rights Something someone has to do for someone else.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 43

Word cards

Behaviour Cautionary Mandatory

Protective clothing Protective equipment Rights

Responsibilities Prohibition PPE

Something someone has Things you or your Saying you must not do
to do for someone else employers have to do. something.

Clothing you have to wear

Things you use to keep
Personal protective to keep you safe at work
yourself safe for example
equipment for example safety
guards on machines.
glasses.

The way a person does

Something you must do. Warning you of danger.
things.

Health and safety at work – Workbook 1 44