Welcome to Season 5, Episode 1 of Health and Safety Unplugged - New Zealand’s longest-running health and safety podcast. Hosted by Matt Jones and proudly sponsored by Advanced Safety, this season is now connected to NZHSP Connect, our new online free-to-access community for more than 4,000 NZ health and safety professionals across LinkedIn and Facebook.In this episode, Matt sits down with Keith Barnett, Senior Trainer and Health and Safety Advisor at Vertical Horizonz, to unpack a career journey that started in military logistics and evolved into one of New Zealand’s most respected voices in safety training.This conversation is packed with grounded, real-world lessons for practitioners, business owners and trainers who actually want to improve safety outcomes - not just tick boxes.What You’ll Learn:• Why safety culture starts with standards and what “the standard you walk past” really means• Working at Heights: why “if you’re going up, you better know how to get down” is the rule everyone forgets• Confined Spaces: planning, rescue readiness and why assumptions kill• Military lessons for safety leadership - communication, preparation, and informed decision-making• How a serious heat-exhaustion incident shaped Keith’s career in safety• Why training is an investment, not an expense and how organisations get it wrong• Advice for new trainers entering the profession• Why you should never pigeonhole yourself as a safety practitioner• The future of safety training in NZ and why “train wisely” matters in 2026 and beyondAbout Keith Barnett (Vertical Horizonz NZ)Keith has spent almost two decades delivering health and safety training in New Zealand, covering:- Working at heights- Confined space entry- Industrial safety- Heavy vehicle and plant training- Bespoke safety training across multiple sectors- International project support through Vertical Horizonz Australia and the PacificHis entry into safety is unlike any other, shaped by military standards, real emergencies and lessons that cost real people real consequences.Why This Episode MattersIf you’re a:- Health and safety practitioner- Trainer- Safety leader- PCBU- Business owner- Worker aspiring to grow in safety- Or part of NZ’s health and safety community…this interview is a masterclass in practical, experience-driven safety thinking.Join NZHSP ConnectIf you want deeper conversations, resources and community learning, join NZHSP Connect, our new free professional platform on Circle:https://safety-connect.circle.so/join?invitation_token=128727fdd51ef687ad0b0a602e5419c35caab02d-9b2559d9-e0e0-4750-aa6b-c852a54852d7Connect with Keith on LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-barnett-3a473546/#HealthAndSafetyNZ #VerticalHorizonz #WorkingAtHeights #ConfinedSpaceTraining #HSWANZ #SafetyLeadership #HealthAndSafetyTraining #MattJonesNZ #AdvancedSafetyNZ #NZHSP #NZHSPConnect #SafetyPodcast #HealthAndSafetyPodcast #SafetyCultureNZ #WorkplaceSafetyNZ #SafetyProfessionalsNZ #SafetyTrainingNZ #EmergencyPlanning #PCBU #HSETrainingJoin the waitlist for the NZHSP Safety Summit 2026https://www.safetysummit.co.nz

Proudly sponsored by Advanced Safety - Keeping health and safety simple since 2016.