New Zealand law stories
Businesses moving premises are being urged to keep worker safety controls in place after a forklift crush left one man with life-changing injuries.
A Law Foundation-backed report says faster regulation could help New Zealand avoid missing out on blockchain jobs, trade and tax benefits.
Worker safety reforms will be funded after a fibreboard maker’s undertaking over a machine injury that left an employee with three fractures.
A Tauranga court has fined Oceana Gold NZD $378,000 and ordered reparations after a 2016 underground mine fall killed a worker.
Poor co-ordination on Auckland building sites has left contractors exposed to serious injury, after a worker fell six metres.
Training failures left a supervisor with severe burns and a skin graft after molten zinc splashed over his safety boot in a chain-jam incident.
A worker’s hand injuries have prompted safety changes, after WorkSafe accepted a ninth enforceable undertaking in lieu of prosecution.
A Whangarei engineering firm has been fined after a worker suffered severe burns when a jammed galvanising machine failed above molten zinc.
Courts are still split on how far tougher health and safety penalties should go, leaving businesses uncertain over likely fines and undertakings.
WorkSafe says inadequate guarding still exposes workers to life-changing injuries, after two Southland firms were fined for amputations.
Workers face greater risk when serious injuries are under-reported, after a depot was fined for failing to notify and minimise a plasterboard accident.
A woman was badly injured and Stumpmaster has been fined after ignoring barriers that could have kept the public clear of a tree-felling site.
A Rangiora Carpets worker suffered significant injuries after a 2.5-metre fall, prompting a warning to assess rarely used storage areas.
WorkSafe will replace old exemptions with tighter hazardous-substance duties, forcing some labs to keep inventories, train staff and plan for emergencies.
Businesses ignoring known hazards face tougher penalties after WorkSafe New Zealand said identifying risks is not enough to keep workers safe.
Two employees suffered severe hand injuries after a bench saw incident, prompting fines and reparations for two related firms in North Shore court.
A trainee electrician suffered serious burns in Karori after unsafe maintenance near live electricity sparked a flashover, with two firms fined.
Workers may still be entitled to pay if snow closes a workplace, but staff who simply stay home could be told to use annual leave.
Two-thirds of New Zealand businesses may be missing contractor and workplace risks, with fines or imprisonment possible under new law.
A drainage contractor was fined NZD $48,875 after poor hazard planning left a worker run over by an excavator and badly injured.
