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 →

The latest incident sent a dozen people, most of whom were children, falling from heights of up to 12 metres Children have again been put in extreme danger by the operators of an inflatable slide who showed little regard for health and safety. Continue →

The death of a nine-year-old girl in a Northland traffic crash has been traced back to a badly worn down towball and coupling on a trailer used by a local trucking business The trailer’s safety chain failed, disconnecting it from the truck towing it in October 2020. Continue →

An Auckland businessman is being held liable for failures that led to the death of a subcontractor, who fell from the roof of a house while spray painting Hon Sang Cheuk was the sole director of DMJ Painters Limited, which hired the painter for the job at Bucklands Beach in June 2020. Continue →

Two serious incidents occurred within a month of each other when the electrical workers involved performed the test improperly The first incident occurred when a live polarity test was used to test the connection of a newly installed mains cable and mains entry box. Continue →

You may have very competent staff and thorough procedures onsite in daylight hours, but many businesses have cleaners or other contractors coming in after hours for maintenance, WorkSafe area investigation manager Paul West says The early morning death of a Taranaki cleaner is a lesson in 24-hour health and safety. Continue →

Though management were unaware of their machine’s health and safety risks, the company was fined $200,000 over the incident Mainland Poultry Limited was sentenced in the Papakura District Court after a worker’s thumb was severed in October 2020. Continue →

Two companies have avoided prosecution after traffic management health and safety failures caused the death of a cyclist, but have committed to an enforceable undertaking to ensure it does not happen again On 30 October 2019 Fyfa Campbell Dawson was cycling to work with her route taking her past a construction site on a temporary section of Springs Road associated with work on the new Christchurch Southern Motorway extension. Continue →

Health and safety practices at ports will be investigated as part of range of actions being taken in response to two deaths in the sector in the space of a week Recently we have seen a disproportionate number of injuries and fatalities in the port industry, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety Michael Wood says. Continue →

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 →