Site Safe gongs for Queenstowners

Two Queenstowners have been recognised nationally for their work in health, safety and wellbeing in the construction industry.

At the recent Site Safe Awards, in Auckland, Tradestaff Group Ltd’s safety team, local Claire Pattinson and Amanda Flavell, of Christchurch, won the New Zealand Chinese Building Association Safety Contribution Award for a team, acknowledging the team who "lights the spark in other people’s minds and inspires positive change and action in health and safety".

Having been nominated in the leadership category last year, it’s the first Site Safe win for a recruitment agency.

Judges commented Pattinson and Flavell have fostered a "safety-first culture" within the construction sector, addressing challenges specific to on-hire labour, including short-term placements and diverse demographics.

Fellow Queenstowner Fiona Brabant, Cook Brothers Construction’s health and safety leader in the Queenstown-Lakes, won the Dominion Constructors Future Safety Leader Award.

With a background in health, Brabant has pioneered improvements including a wellness app, striving to ensure everyone returns home safely.