Health and Safety is an absolute priority for us here at Forest Produce. Each member of staff is trained in health and safety upon arrival in the company and supplied with a copy of the Health and safety handbook. This includes standard operating procedures in relation to the relevant equipment, handling boxes and products, safety measures that are in place when painting stems, including protective clothing and safety practices when out on site.

Our health and safety policy was developed internally, using a consultant, Brendan McKeon of MACB Consultants, who has been instrumental in helping us develop this. He worked closely with, and helped train our Health and Safety officer, Jason Hingston, and helped us assess all of the potential risks that we could face. Safety equipment including gloves, PPE and masks are all provided for the employees. The international standards we follow include ISO 9000, ISO 1999:1990, ISO 5349-1 and ISO 17025. We also follow all of the standards set in the National Health, Safety, and Welfare at Work Act 2005 diligently.

There is signage relating to health and safety throughout the warehouse. These include caution as a forklift is in operation, high vis apparel is to be worn by all warehouse staff and signage relating to COVID safety measures are also in place.

The health and safety protocols are reviewed annually, and risk assessments are continuously updated and factored into the standards. This includes a complete risk assessment taking place on all new sites that we harvest.. COVID-19 rules are followed as per the government guidelines. In the case of extreme weather events, our employees, especially harvesters are advised to stay at home for their safety. The offices are closed during these times. Employee safety is a priority, and no employee will be put in a dangerous position or situation.