Previously released WorkSafe information defines a drop start as \u201cthe act of starting a chainsaw by pushing the saw away from the body with one hand while simultaneously pulling on the starter cord handle with the other\u201d. <\/p>\n
It says drop starting \u201cis not an approved work practice\u201d and \u201cdrop starting a chainsaw is prohibited\u201d.<\/p>\n
That arboriculture approved code of practice (Acop) was released in 2012, but has since been followed with an updated one for forestry and harvesting.<\/p>\n
Released last year by Hoggard\u2019s Act colleague and Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden, it doesn\u2019t explicitly mention drop starting, but outlines information for using a chainsaw.<\/p>\n
One section sends readers through to \u201cbest practice guidelines for chainsaw use\u201d, a document produced by SafeTree, which provides resources for \u201csafe and successful forestry operations\u201d. SafeTree is run by the Forest Industry Safety Council (Fisc).<\/p>\n
Their document has a clear warning for users: \u201cNever drop start a saw\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe danger is that the saw will swing in an arc at the end of the cord and cause serious injury, especially to the body or face.\u201d <\/p>\n
Following questions from the Herald this week, a spokesperson for WorkSafe said the regulator had received a concern about the video from a member of the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe assess information of this kind in line with our usual processes and determine what action, if any, is appropriate,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
WorkSafe decides whether to intervene by testing the information it has against four decision-making criteria.<\/p>\n
These are whether the risk of harm sits within WorkSafe\u2019s parameters, whether it\u2019s the best agency to intervene, whether the significance of the risk or harm warrants intervention, and whether it\u2019s an effective use of resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on the information currently available, we are not in a position to make a definitive assessment of the specific circumstances shown in the video, including the technique being used or whether the activity falls within the scope of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015,\u201d the spokesperson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cOn that basis, it does not meet our threshold for further intervention.\u201d<\/p>\n
The spokesperson said drop starting a chainsaw was not \u201cindustry best practice\u201d, and WorkSafe supported guidance from SafeTree.<\/p>\n
Andrew Hoggard is an Act MP. Photo \/ Alex Burton<\/p>\n
Joe Akari, chief executive and national safety director for Fisc, told the Herald he believed Hoggard was drop starting the chainsaw in the video, which he said someone should not do.<\/p>\n
He said manual tree felling is \u201cone of the most hazardous tasks in forest harvesting\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this case, the minister is felling wilding pines. Fisc would recommend that contractors and workers who undertake this wilding work should undertake a process to assess their skill, qualifications and competence, through a process such as Safetree certification, before engaging in this work,\u201d Akari said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly, if an auditor observed a worker drop starting a chainsaw, it is unlikely that they would be certified for that task under a Safetree audit.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said it was \u201ccommendable\u201d that the minister was advocating strongly for this work, \u201cbut a more skilled operator would have provided a better role model in this case, as the unsafe practice distracts from the message of the work\u201d. <\/p>\n
In a statement, Hoggard told the Herald: \u201cI\u2019m sure the professionals we contract to remove wilding pines will use best practice to start their chainsaws.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got my own technique, but people should take expert advice on safest practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Van Velden told the Herald Hoggard \u201cdoesn\u2019t claim to be a forestry professional\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he has chopped down his fair share of wilding pines on the farm and knows his way around a chainsaw better than most,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The minister highlighted the forestry code of practice released last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was developed by WorkSafe and the forestry industry to help reduce deaths and serious injuries in the sector. Following that guidance is a practical way for people working in forestry to keep themselves and others safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
SafeTree advises that recommended methods of starting a chainsaw include having the tool secure. This could include having it firmly on the ground.<\/p>\n
Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald\u2019s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Previously released WorkSafe information defines a drop start as \u201cthe act of starting a chainsaw by pushing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":470695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[1443,6689,20251,60504,5842,5164,2516,3238,209,237953,78,2454,1073,6722,42677,111,139,69,52871,12064,2081,1072,213,1355,24388,46656,6306,416,6123,102,17705],"class_list":["post-470694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-about","tag-agriculture","tag-andrew","tag-associate","tag-calling","tag-chainsaw","tag-concern","tag-forestry","tag-group","tag-hoggards","tag-in","tag-industry","tag-media","tag-minister","tag-ministers","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-practice","tag-prompted","tag-raised","tag-social","tag-sports","tag-starting","tag-technique","tag-unsafe","tag-use","tag-video","tag-while","tag-with","tag-worksafe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}