KCE wins Workplace Health and Safety Award

Electricity generator and retailer, King Country Energy (KCE), has won best health and safety initiative in the small business category at the Safeguard New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards. 

The initiative centred on keeping the company’s team of meter readers safe using a detailed, four-pronged safety approach.

CEO Rob Foster said that to be announced as winner is an outstanding achievement for the team. 
“We have five full time and five part-time meter readers who travel over 250,000km per year to 16,000 residential, commercial, and farming locations. Our meter readers face risks every day while out on the job. 

“We have a responsibility to ensure we do everything within our power to minimise these risks.”

KCE’s winning initiative involved identifying risks, developing a Hazard Risk Register specific to its meter readers and making changes to how new meter readers are inducted at KCE. 

The category was open to any small business in New Zealand undertaking an initiative that shows how they have overcome health and safety challenges within the context of having fewer resources than larger organisations.