WorkSafe New Zealand has provided practical safety guidance to hundreds of wood manufacturing businesses, as part of a significant proactive focus on one of the country’s most dangerous sectors. WorkSafe’s health and safety inspectors visited 657 businesses between January and March – from toy makers to joiners and wood processors – sharing education and guidance material with 83% of them. “Many businesses were committed to improving safety and welcomed the chance to talk through their health and safety practices,” says WorkSafe’s project lead Savio Valladares. “These visits are about helping businesses get it right, not catching them out.” However, the assessments also revealed persistent safety gaps. About half the businesses visited were required to make prompt changes to help prevent harm. The most common issues were inadequate machine guarding, missing or out-of-date hazardous substances inventories, and workers exposed to wood dust without effective controls such as ventilation and protective equipment.