The operator was using the water blaster in a correct manner, was experienced in its use and regular maintenance checks and services had been carried out on the machine, so why was he left hospitalised for three days? Continue →

Lack of proper training and instruction is always a recipe for disaster, no matter what the situation, WorkSafe National Investigations Manager Hayden Mander says   NZDF has been sentenced in the Palmerston North District Court under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and must pay out over $450,000 after a training exercise went wrong. Continue →

WorkSafe New Zealand is reminding businesses they must assess the capabilities of their workers in a safe and controlled environment after a life-altering incident left a teenage girl paraplegic On her first day working for Blackadder Racing in January 2019 the victim was asked to ride a thoroughbred racehorse. Continue →

A company has been fined $595,000 after a court found it responsible for the death of two of its customers due to multiple health and safety failures What was supposed to be a 50th birthday celebration turned to tragedy, when two British tourists lost their lives in March 2019 while on a bespoke tour operated by Prestige Adventure. Continue →

No risk assessment had been completed for the worker’s task before the incident, which led to a fractured rib, stitches and 14 days off work, WorkSafe reports Over the past year there have been a number of fall from heights incidents in quarries. Continue →

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) is calling for people planning and implementing roadworks near level crossings to always consider the risks after a double fatality in Morrinsville, Chief Investigator of Accidents Harald Hendel says The call comes in TAIC’s report on a fatal accident in which a freight train impacted a car at about 4am on 7 December 2019 at a level crossing on State Highway 26 near Morrinsville. Continue →

A company and its director have been dealt hefty fines and reparation costs following an incident with an unsafe metal press that ended in amputation WorkSafe is warning company directors that if they are not making sure their company’s operations are safe and healthy, they face enforcement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Continue →

Last year saw five fatalities in the agricultural sector alone in just two months – with this season already off to a bad start after a person was killed in a tractor incident Vehicles continue to be the primary source of harm in farm fatalities. Continue →

Two companies have been ordered to pay a total sum of over $1 million after failing to follow industry guidance, resulting in the death of a worker WorkSafe is once again reminding businesses to make sure work is being done correctly, safely and to higher industry standards, or risk seeing their workers injured or killed. Continue →

WorkSafe New Zealand is warning businesses that it is unacceptable to allow staff to operate cranes and other machinery without direct supervision or appropriate training The warning comes after a fatal incident in Christchurch in January 2020. Continue →

WorkSafe is reminding businesses of the importance of adequate risk assessments and exclusion zones, after a worker was shot in the chest with a nail gun Sleepwell (NZ) Limited makes mattresses and bed bases at a plant in South Auckland. Continue →

Repeated exposure to vibration from hand and power tools and while using vehicles and machinery can cause permanent injury to blood vessels, nerves and joints Vibration from tools and machines can be transmitted into workers’ hands and arms. Continue →

Relying on worker competency to manage risky work is no substitute for current and effective risk management plans, WorkSafe warns It comes as a Hawkes Bay steel plate cutting company was fined following a November 2017 incident in which a worker’s leg was crushed by a package of steel being moved by a gantry crane. Continue →

The death of a West Coast flooring company employee has drawn a strong warning from WorkSafe for businesses not to rely on the experience of workers in the absence of proper risk identification and management In March 2019 an employee of Coastwide Flooring Limited was installing carpet in a Greymouth building using a strong organic solvent-based adhesive. Continue →

No matter what industry you are in, hands are by far the most commonly used tool, so how do you protect your team from injuries? Continue →

Routine inspection and maintenance of the company’s wired edge protection would have saved this worker’s life In January 2019 the worker was transporting cars using a trailer he leased from Car Haulaways Limited. Continue →

Vehicle Inspection New Zealand Limited (VINZ) must pay up over $500,000 after failing to adhere to its own health and safety practices for keeping customers safe The February 2019 incident involved a customer being struck by a vehicle driven by a VINZ employee at the Hamilton testing site. Continue →

This contributes to 15 per cent of all of New Zealand’s work-place fatalities, or around 10 lives a year, a WorkSafe analysis reveals Not wearing seatbelts while on the job was the largest single factor contributing to fatal work-related accidents, according to a data analysis completed by WorkSafe. Continue →

While the risk of vehicles tipping was known, the Ports of Auckland failed to effectively monitor and address critical tip alarm activations, says WorkSafe’s Area Manager Danielle Henry In August 2018 a stevedore at the Ports of Auckland was loading and unloading containers on to ships, using a straddle carrier (a freight carrying vehicle). Continue →

The gas water heater used to supply a shower in which a 12-year-old boy died, should never have been installed inside the bathroom, says WorkSafe The victim was using a shower at his family’s holiday home in 2018 and died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Continue →