SAFETY ALWAYS
COMES FIRST

Forestry is a high-risk industry, so safety in the forest is key to a long career in forestry. 

In the forest, we look out for each other and protect each other like family, making sure each other is safe on the job.

FORESTRY INDUSTRY SAFETY COUNCIL AND SAFETREE

In 2014 the Independent Forestry Safety Review [PDF 1.3MB] recommended setting up the Forestry Industry Safety Council (FISC) to improve forest safety. 

The Forest Industry Safety Council is a pan-industry initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate deaths and serious injuries in New Zealand's plantation forestries by doing the following:

FISC provides resources, on-going training and certification to people at all levels in the industry aimed at keeping them safe in our forests. 

See Safetree for more safety information and the latest forestry safety statistics

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

There is absolutely no place for drugs and alcohol in a forestry crew.

Having any drugs or alcohol in your system while working in the forest – even if you're hungover from the night before – creates a major safety risk to you and other members of your crew.

Therefore forestry companies take a zero tolerance approach to people using drugs and alcohol in a way that could affect safety or their job performance. 

Along with education and training, policies and procedures, rehabilitation and case management, forestry companies use drug testing as a tool to keep forestry work sites safe from drugs and alcohol. 

In a forest crew you can expect to be asked to take a pre-employment drug test (usually a urine test), then be randomly drug tested on the job. You may also be asked to take a drug (and/or alcohol breath test) test if you have been involved in an incident at work.

You may also be asked to take a test if your boss has reasonable cause to believe you may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.