Wellington man fined for obstructing WorkSafe investigation
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 24 May 2019 WorkSafe says failure to comply with its investigation processes will not be tolerated and there will be serious consequences for anyone who refuses to cooperate. Joshua Junior Nanai was sentenced at the Porirua District Court this week on a representative charge of obstruction after failing to cooperate with […]
Read More →Accelerated silicosis
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 23 May 2019 This safety alert highlights the serious health and safety risks of exposure to high levels of respirable crystalline silica (RCS) in the stone benchtop manufacturing industry. What happened? Silicosis is an irreversible and progressive disease that causes fibrosis of the lungs from the inhalation of RCS. As of […]
Read More →Trimming trees next to powerlines is a dangerous job
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 22 May 2019 An employer has been sentenced to 60 hours community work and fined for failing to keep a worker safe while he was trimming tree branches next to a powerline. A casual worker hired by Bradford John Dibble was seriously injured in the incident. Dibble was sentenced at the […]
Read More →Construction company sentenced after vehicle fatality
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 16 May 2019 A South Island construction company has been ordered to pay fines, reparation and costs of more than $500,000 after a worker was crushed and killed when the truck he was driving rolled down a bank. In a decision released by the Blenheim District Court last week, Crafar Crouch […]
Read More →Gasfitter sentenced to community detention after installing faulty fireplace
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 10 May 2019 Tauranga gasfitter Patrick Dykes has been sentenced to four months’ community detention after a gas fireplace he installed incorrectly caught fire causing significant damage to the house. Patrick Joseph Dykes appeared at the Tauranga District Court today after Dykes’ company was hired to install a gas fireplace at […]
Read More →Two companies sentenced after worker injured in firewood processor incident
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 9 May 2019 Two companies have been fined after an incident involving a machine used to cut firewood which ended in a worker suffering a significant hand injury. Davies Tree Service Limited employed the worker and MMD Engineering Limited manufactured the machine and both were sentenced at the Christchurch District Court […]
Read More →Scaffold collapse highlights the importance of safe design
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 1 May 2019 A scaffolding company has been fined $150,000 after a poorly designed scaffold collapsed while seven people were working on it. Affordable Scaffolding (2010) Limited was sentenced at the Auckland District Court last month following the February 2017 incident involving a scaffold erected under the Panmure Bridge in Auckland. The scaffold […]
Read More →Incident a lesson for farmers who own stock loading ramps
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 18 April 2019 A truck driver was left with a skull fracture and significant head injuries after a stock loading ramp used to unload sheep from a truck fell on him in October 2017 when its winch system failed. A truck driver was left with a skull fracture and significant head […]
Read More →Avoiding injury can be as easy as reading instruction manuals thoroughly
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 16 April 2019 Reading instruction manuals thoroughly before working with complex machinery is an easy way to avoid serious injury, WorkSafe says. In a decision released by the Dunedin District Court last week, Southern District Health Board and Fire and Mech Contracting Limited were fined, after a worker’s arm was crushed […]
Read More →WorkSafe welcomes new Construction Sector Accord
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 15 April 2019 WorkSafe is welcoming an initiative with the construction industry which will include a focus on the critical areas of health, safety and wellbeing. The Construction Sector Accord was announced yesterday by Minister for Building and Construction Jenny Salesa. The Accord is a partnership between the Government and construction […]
Read More →Company fined after worker fatally injured by steel beam
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 12 April 2019 A structural steelwork company was fined $250,000 yesterday after a heavy steel beam fatally injured a worker. Pegasus Engineering Limited was sentenced at the Christchurch District Court yesterday following the fatal incident in June 2017 in Rolleston. In the incident a worker was moving steel beams from work […]
Read More →Always turn power off when carrying out electrical work
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 4 April 2019 WorkSafe is urging employers to mitigate any risks before carrying out electrical work, after a worker was left with serious electrical burns to his hands. In a decision released by the Invercargill District Court this week, Wallace Murray Electrical Limited was fined $150,000 following the incident, which took place […]
Read More →Boiling brine at Heinz Wattie’s factory burns worker
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 3 April 2019 Food manufacturer Heinz Wattie’s Limited appeared in the Hastings District Court yesterday after a boiling solution burned a worker’s lower legs. In May 2017, a vat used to manufacture brine solution for use in various food products at the company’s Hastings factory boiled over. While attempting to turn the […]
Read More →Organic solvents
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 1 April 2019 This Safety Alert highlights the serious health and safety risks of using organic solvents in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation and lack of personal protective equipment. What happened? In two separate events, two workers fell unconscious and later died as a likely result of acute exposure to organic solvents. One […]
Read More →New Zealand Mining Board of Examiners – Newsletter February 2019
Source: Worksafe New Zealand Adventure activity notification Asbestos removal Electrical and gas Major Hazard Facilities Hazardous work Occupational diseases Extractives Petroleum Geothermal Raise a health or safety concern […]
Read More →140 litre LPG leak could have been deadly
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 1 March 2019 WorkSafe says an uncontrolled LPG release at a gas production station in Taranaki could have had potentially deadly consequences for the six workers on site. Three companies were sentenced in the New Plymouth District Court last month, after a November 2016 incident that saw approximately 140 litres of […]
Read More →Inaugural health and safety workshop attended by Wairarapa winegrowers and WorkSafe
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 1 March 2019 As harvest season begins, Wairarapa wineries are focused on workers’ health and safety, following a workshop with health and safety regulator WorkSafe New Zealand. In January, WorkSafe hosted the inaugural practical health and safety workshop with 18 wineries from across the Wairarapa region. The workshop, which was run […]
Read More →Worker severs thumb on inadequately guarded machinery
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 28 February 2019 A food manufacturing company was sentenced at the Christchurch District Court yesterday after a worker had their thumb severed while cleaning a machine used to blend products. Wimpex Limited was fined $240,000 following a WorkSafe investigation, which found Wimpex Limited, did not have adequate guarding in place. An initial […]
Read More →Company with 20 previous health and safety convictions fined
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 28 February 2019 A North Island wood processing company with 20 previous health and safety convictions over the last two decades has landed in front of the courts again. Juken New Zealand Limited was sentenced at the Kaitaia District Court yesterday, following an incident which saw a worker suffer serious steam burns. […]
Read More →Failure to fix problems results in severe injuries
Source: Worksafe New Zealand 26 February 2019 A Gore farm machinery company’s lack of effective repairs to a tractor has resulted in a substantial fine and reparations to an injured farm worker. “Vehicle service industries must ensure diligent workmanship, systems and practices in the work that they do to prevent injuries to users,” says WorkSafe Head […]
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