A worker who had been manually felling trees on a wood block was found unresponsive under a fallen tree, having sustained fatal crushing injuries There were no witnesses to the event, however an investigation found it was likely that a tree the worker had felled had brushed past a dead tree, causing the dead tree to uproot and fall, pinning and fatally injuring the worker. Continue →

Failure to ensure simple safety measures, such as machine guarding and supervision are in place, has left a worker with severe injuries after his arm got caught in a machine used to shred tyres Waste Management NZ Limited specialises in waste and environmental services and has sites across the country. Continue →

The Defence Force has been fined $288,750 after not following health and safety guidelines, resulting in the death of a trainee diver during an advanced diving course   In March 2019 a group of trainees was taking part in an 18 week advanced diving course. Continue →

Hand injuries at work account for over 20% of all workplace injuries, according to the U.S. Continue →

Close to $100,000 in fines were handed out after three workers suffered electric shocks in two separate incidents at the same worksite Thor Electrical was engaged by a construction company to complete electrical work at a commercial property site in Henderson, Auckland. Continue →

WorkSafe has been notified of four fatalities on New Zealand farms in September. Continue →

Farmers are being warned that poorly maintained tripod tanks are a serious health and safety risk to fuel users The safety alert from the Fuel Distributors Industry Safety Committee and WorkSafe New Zealand follows a recent incident where a fuel tanker driver was seriously injured on a farm where a tripod overhead tank collapsed while he was filling it. Continue →

A company has been ordered to pay out over $250,000 after a worker lost three fingers and part of his palm as the result of a traumatic amputation in unguarded machinery, just seven weeks into his first job In February 2018 the worker was operating a large finger-jointing machine when it became jammed. Continue →

A sentencing decision released this week which almost cost a company $450,000 is a reminder to all businesses working outdoors that things can go wrong, with tragic outcomes Working on slopes is a daily challenge for many New Zealand businesses navigating undulating terrain. Continue →

All machinery should work safely, even if staff do not comply with rules for safe operation, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) after a worker became trapped in still-working machinery that was behind safety guards The accident occurred in the very early hours of 14 November 2018 on the fish processing line of the NZ-registered deep-sea factory trawler San Granit, while it was trawling about 102 km east of Banks Peninsula. Continue →

Failure to clearly communicate health and safety responsibilities has seen a company fined $281,250 after a migrant worker was crushed by a trailer When employing migrant workers it is vital to ensure they clearly understand health and safety risks and the measures in place to control them. Continue →

An able seaman on a ship loading logs was fatally injured when a cable snapped under too much tension and securing equipment recoiled, says the Transport Accident Investigation Commission in its Final Report on the accident The accident occurred at Eastland Port, Gisborne, on the night of 3 April 2019. Continue →

None of the workers were trained in the use of height safety equipment, or supervised by a competent person, says WorkSafe’s Acting Chief Inspector Danielle Henry The incident occurred in Kerikeri in April 2018 in which workers were using a man cage to work at a height while building an agricultural shed. Continue →

WorkSafe is reminding everyone that children are always at risk on worksites, after an unsupported stack of wood collapsed on a three-year-old   In March 2016 a three-year-old boy was visiting his father for lunch at a Timaru lumber yard. Continue →

A mechanics workshop has dodged a $400,000 fine after an untrained worker was crushed by the truck he was working on It was the young worker’s second day on the job as a trainee and he had been left unsupervised at the time of the incident. Continue →