Start the year on solid ground
Welcome back
The first week back is a funny one. You’re refreshed enough to feel optimistic, but the to-do list is already building before you’ve finished your first coffee. Everyone talks about big goals and fresh starts in January, but the most useful thing you can actually do in those first few days is something quieter: make sure the foundations of your business are in good shape before the year gets away from you.
For sole traders, one of the most practical places to start is your health and safety. Not because it’s exciting, but because getting it sorted early means you can spend the rest of the year focused on the work.
Your obligations don't take a summer break
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, your duty to manage risks to your own health and safety, and to the health and safety of others affected by your work, is ongoing. WorkSafe NZ is clear that this applies to businesses of all sizes, including people working entirely on their own.
January is also a natural reset point. If your H&S habits slipped a little in the second half of last year, now is the moment to get back on track without any fanfare. You just start again, cleanly, from today.
Reference:
- WorkSafe NZ – What is the primary duty of care?
Three things worth doing this week
Whether or not you are a freemeup client, the start of a new year is a good moment to build some simple habits around your health, safety, and wellbeing. For freemeup clients who use the H&S service, the Weekly Plan inspection makes this easy. Run at the start of each working week through the SafetyCulture platform, it takes just a few minutes and guides you through the health, safety, and wellbeing requirements for whatever you have planned. For everyone else, the same principles apply. As you head back into the new year, three things are worth doing straight away:
- Check in with yourself. How are you doing this week? January can carry its own pressure, the feeling that you should be hitting the ground running even if you’re not quite there yet. It’s a good question to answer honestly before the week starts.
- Check your workspace. If you’ve been away for a few weeks, take a quick look at your home office or workspace before you settle back in. Has anything changed that might introduce a new hazard? It takes a moment and keeps your records current.
- Review your H&S commitment. The start of a new year is a good moment to remind yourself of the standard you’ve set for how you want to run your business. Not as a compliance exercise, but as an intention for the year ahead.
Make it a habit, not a chore
The sole traders who manage their H&S well aren’t the ones who do a big review once a year. They’re the ones who build small, consistent habits that run quietly in the background without taking much time or mental energy.
Five minutes at the start of each week. A check-in on your wellbeing, a look at what’s coming up, and confirmation that you’ve got what you need to work safely. That’s it. If you’re not yet using the freemeup H&S system and you’d like to start the year sorted, get in touch with us. It’s simpler than you might think.
Read last month’s blog on taking a proper break over summer. Read it here.
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