Meet Peter Hayes, Group GM Health and Safety, who looks after health and safety across our five SKYCITY sites. Read more of Peter below as he talks about his first five months of working at SKYCITY and how his passion for health and safety came about.
How long have you worked at SKYCITY, and why did you choose to work here?
I’ve been here for five months now and joined because I love New Zealand and the opportunity to move here from Australia to work for such an iconic brand was too good to pass up.
What led you to a career in health and safety?
Growing up, I was in the volunteer ambulance service and spent a lot of time helping people. I had a workplace accident when I was younger which motivated me to get into safety to see if I could help prevent others from getting hurt. I spent nine years as an Inspector/Investigator with the safety regulator in Australia and was exposed to many terrible incidents and it motivates me to make workplaces safer. It is not just a job, it’s a passion. I take it very personally.
What is your main focus for health and safety at SKYCITY?
To lead a safety transformation focused on prevention of injury and illness, to help the business build for a healthier and safer future and to help our teams be safer each day through coaching.
What do you enjoy about working for SKYCITY?
The people – all our sites have great stories and wonderful people which makes it easy to come to work every day. My favourite part so far has been meeting the health and safety representatives all over the business who are clearly passionate about creating safer workplaces. There is also a genuine desire from our leaders to make our workplace safer which is really great.
What’s the most important thing for us all to remember about health and safety?
The most important person who can influence your own personal safety is you. Nobody wants to get hurt, so think through your job, talk to your colleagues and if in doubt, take five and talk to your manager or leader. There is nothing that should prevent you from working safely.
Lastly, what do you most enjoy doing outside of work?
Spending time doing anything with my daughters. I love football (the round ball game). Seeing my favourite teams Liverpool FC and Western Sydney Wanderers play is a great way to spend a few hours. I also enjoy cycling and recently took up fishing. One day I will catch one big enough to keep.
Thanks for sharing Peter! Want to explore career opportunities at SKYCITY? Check out our careers website here.
