Two fatalities, a serious injury and three high risk incidents in just over a month highlight the health and safety mistakes still being made in workplaces Last month saw two worker deaths involving vehicles and two serious incidents involving dangerous gasses, while there was also a serious injury incident the previous month. Continue →

A teenage worker needed three fingers partly amputated when his summer holiday job went horribly wrong Matthew Nevill, who was 19 at the time, was trying to fix a chain on a conveyor belt at Clyde Orchards in February 2021, when his hands were drawn into the machine. Continue →

The importance of vehicle maintenance and driver training have been laid bare at the court sentencing for a deadly bus crash 11-year-old Hannah Francis was killed and several others seriously injured when the bus, owned and operated by Ruapehu Alpine Lifts Limited (RAL), crashed while descending the Ohakune Mountain Road on 28 July 2018. Continue →

A farm manager was making a wide turn on his quad-bike when his wheels suddenly locked, causing the machine to roll, fatally crushing him A post-accident inspection showed the quad bike’s drive belt had broken. Continue →

Poor risk management and a lack of worker engagement have been identified as factors in the death of an East Coast freezing worker, who was crushed by a falling steel frame full of offal cartons Alfred Edwards was attempting to free a jammed carton in a blast freezer at AFFCO’s Wairoa plant in February 2020, when a frame fell and fatally crushed him. Continue →

Though the machine had undergone significant safety modifications, it was still not compliant with New Zealand safety standards and the responsible parties were found liable for a worker’s injury A multinational company has been sentenced after a worker’s arm got caught in a bark-stripping machine, which did not have the appropriate safeguards for New Zealand use. Continue →

A Hawke’s Bay meatworks faces costs of $328,000 after being sentenced for poor training and supervision Poor training and supervision contributed to a worker having his hand seriously injured on unsafe machinery at a Hawke’s Bay meatworks, which has now been sentenced. Continue →

Two construction companies have been held accountable for a cavalier attitude toward keeping people safe when working at height The lack of planning and implementation of safety measures from both companies left a builder with life-changing injuries after they fell three metres from an unguarded second floor void on a construction site in September 2020, including a broken spine causing paralysis. Continue →

Workers can be exposed to risks that may lead to musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs), but what are they and what factors increase their likelihood? Continue →

Despite the slide being operated by another party, a council has been sentenced for its part in failing to keep people safe when it collapsed Thames Coromandel District Council authorised JTK Trustee Limited to operate the giant inflatable slide at the Whangamatā Summer Festival in December 2020. Continue →

A business which didn’t properly safeguard its machinery has been sentenced over two incidents, six months apart, in which workers had their hands disfigured West Auckland bakery Bakeworks Limited, which makes gluten-free products, was sentenced in Waitakere District Court for health and safety failures related to both incidents. Continue →

A Bay of Plenty business with an undocumented and ineffective health and safety process has been sentenced after a raised skip bin fell on a worker and inflicted a severe brain injury The victim, now 52 years old, was emptying the skip bin when it fell on his head and shoulders in March 2021. Continue →

Inadequate training and supervision contributed to the death of a forestry technician in northern Hawke’s Bay, WorkSafe finds The technician was repairing a mechanical attachment, known as a harvester head, when the device was activated by being manually spun. Continue →

WorkSafe is again urging vigilance on the risks of exposed machinery, in light of a steel fabrication worker suffering a significant injury on the job in Northland The employer, Donovan Group NZ Limited, has been sentenced in the Whangārei District Court for its health and safety failings in June last year. Continue →

Subcontractors are entitled to health and safety too and deserve better, WorkSafe says A Canterbury business, Dan’s Renovations, has been sentenced for health and safety failings over the death of a subcontractor in February 2021. Continue →

A Manawatū factory worker’s death underscores the importance of carrying out a dedicated risk assessment before modifying machinery in a workplace Dwayne Summers died after being trapped and crushed, while using a meal bagging machine at Kakariki Proteins Limited in April 2021. Continue →

A business has been prosecuted for failing to play its part before a worker suffered significant injuries on the job in a fall from height The 54-year-old worker was replacing a roof at Auckland’s Glenfield Intermediate School in mid-January 2020. Continue →

Worksafe New Zealand has accepted an enforceable undertaking in hopes that it will improve site safety 60-year-old truck driver Gratten Layne was standing at the rear of his truck, when he was struck and killed by a loader driven by another worker at the Hampton Downs landfill in March 2020. Continue →

WorkSafe New Zealand is underscoring the dangers of skylights, after a 14-year-old roofer was seriously injured The teenager fell eight metres through a skylight and directly onto a concrete floor while working for Ironhide Roofing Limited, which has today been sentenced in the Napier District Court. Continue →

Since the start of last year, at least two workers have died in construction every month and just over one worker per day has been seriously injured WorkSafe NZ, Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) and the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) are calling for a renewed focus on construction health and safety after a number of serious incidents recently. Continue →