Workplace incidents stories
Weak safety culture and poor handover practices left Port Otago workers exposed when runaway wagons rolled back during a routine shunt.
A fatal machinery move in Ōtorohanga has prompted WorkSafe to warn small firms that improvised, non-routine jobs need proper planning and controls.
New Zealand employers can face wider safety duties than many realise, covering mental health, training, equipment and worker accommodation.
Construction firms could cut accident risk as Australian researchers' tool predicts site hazards with more than 90 percent accuracy.
WorkSafe says forestry firms must tighten site checks after a 23-year-old was killed by a log that rolled 325 metres at Tangoio.
Workplace deaths on New Zealand farms have already hit five this year, with vehicles and fatigue among the biggest risks ahead of spring.
Cut injuries can still strike even workplaces with no recent incidents, Martor Australia says, as safety knives are often overlooked.
He will oversee major incident response, victim services and coronial work as WorkSafe targets repeated harm patterns at source.
Workers returning to sites after lockdown face added risks from inactivity, mental strain and social distancing, says NZISM President Greg Dearsly.
Safety performance across the electricity sector has improved further, with its TRIFR down 19% and five years without a fatality.
Cold conditions can dull judgement and strength, raising the risk of injuries unless crews warm up, layer up and take breaks.
Near-miss collisions in a loading zone have highlighted the need for stricter radio calls, exclusion zones and controls around heavy machinery.
A New Zealand freight firm has been fined NZD $506,300 after a worker was crushed by falling pallets during forklift unloading in Auckland.
WorkSafe has warned that faulty or misconfigured remotes can send mobile plant moving unexpectedly, risking serious injuries at mines and quarries.
Dairy farms are missing safety lessons because staff underreport incidents, fear blame and fail to follow up on fixes, researchers found.
