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Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) Stories - Page 8

Kiwi Stories

Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) stories

Collision after faulty truck’s brakes fail
Risk & Compliance

Collision after faulty truck’s brakes fail

A safety prosecution has exposed maintenance failures after a brake defect left two people badly injured and cost Sorensen Transport GBP £150,000.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 1st Sep 2019
Imported machinery causes fatality
Risk & Compliance

Imported machinery causes fatality

A WorkSafe probe found the unguarded filler was not certified to New Zealand standards, exposing staff to a fatal entanglement risk.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Sun, 25th Aug 2019
Food packaging company prosecuted after ignoring previous warnings
Risk & Compliance

Food packaging company prosecuted after ignoring previous warnings

A worker lost fingers in a machine incident after repeated safety warnings, leaving Alto Packaging facing a GBP £250,000 fine and reparation.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Mon, 19th Aug 2019
New WorkSafe guidance for contracting arrangements
Risk & Compliance

New WorkSafe guidance for contracting arrangements

Tighter expectations on consulting and monitoring contractors will leave PCBUs needing clearer records under WorkSafe’s new guidance.

By Michael Curreen • 4 min read • Wed, 14th Aug 2019
Manager covers up wood splitter injury
Law

Manager covers up wood splitter injury

A farm director has been jailed for four months’ community detention after telling an injured worker to lie to investigators over a wood splitter crash.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Fri, 9th Aug 2019
Footpath damaged by construction leads to elderly man’s death
Risk & Compliance

Footpath damaged by construction leads to elderly man’s death

WorkSafe says pedestrians near building sites can face fatal risks after a damaged Papatoetoe footpath led to a retired man's death.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Thu, 25th Jul 2019
Builders seriously injured after companies fail to cooperate
Law

Builders seriously injured after companies fail to cooperate

A lack of consultation on a Southland milking shed build left two workers seriously injured, prompting fines of more than USD $300,000.

By Michael Curreen • 4 min read • Thu, 27th Jun 2019
CentrePort sentenced after fatal fall
Risk & Compliance

CentrePort sentenced after fatal fall

WorkSafe warned firms on height safety after a worker died in a 2017 fall at CentrePort’s Wellington container repair facility.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Tue, 18th Jun 2019
Anyone listening out there?
Risk & Compliance

Anyone listening out there?

Machine guarding lapses in meat plants are still leaving workers with amputations, as a new fine highlights repeated safety failures.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 6th Jun 2019
Construction company sentenced after vehicle fatality
Regulation

Construction company sentenced after vehicle fatality

The company faces a more than $500,000 penalty after safety failures led to an unlicensed worker’s death in a dump truck rollover.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Fri, 31st May 2019
A hard lesson in working near powerlines
Health and Safety

A hard lesson in working near powerlines

A worker suffered electric shock and fell from a ladder after a branch hit a powerline, exposing unsafe tree-trimming near lines.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 23rd May 2019
Studies reveal concerning statistics on workplace bullying and harassment
Human Capital Management

Studies reveal concerning statistics on workplace bullying and harassment

A new WorkSafe focus means only the most serious bullying claims are likely to be investigated, despite annual reports from up to one in three workers.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 16th May 2019
Unsuspecting worker loses fingers to unguarded machine
Risk & Compliance

Unsuspecting worker loses fingers to unguarded machine

WorkSafe says the injury could have been avoided, after a firewood processor’s unsafe design cost a worker four fingers and triggered fines.

By Michael Curreen • 4 min read • Sun, 12th May 2019
Scaffold collapse highlights the importance of safe design
Law

Scaffold collapse highlights the importance of safe design

Seven workers escaped serious injury after an overloaded scaffold under Auckland’s Panmure Bridge collapsed, costing the firm GBP £150,000.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Tue, 7th May 2019
How a simple instruction manual could have prevented this costly injury
District Health Board

How a simple instruction manual could have prevented this costly injury

Two employers were fined after a worker’s arm was crushed during an x-ray machine removal, in a case WorkSafe says was easily avoidable.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 25th Apr 2019
Company fined $250k after worker fatally injured by steel beam
Risk & Compliance

Company fined $250k after worker fatally injured by steel beam

The court also ordered more than GBP £165,000 in reparations after investigators found unsafe handling of unsecured beams exposed staff to deadly crushing risks.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Wed, 17th Apr 2019
Standardisation for oral fluid drug testing
Human Capital Management

Standardisation for oral fluid drug testing

Workplace testing could face legal scrutiny unless employers use accredited providers that follow the new Australian and New Zealand standard.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 7th Apr 2019
The shocking result of working carelessly with live power
Risk & Compliance

The shocking result of working carelessly with live power

An Invercargill electrical contractor has been fined after a worker suffered serious burns in an arc flash during switchboard work at a pumping station.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Thu, 4th Apr 2019
Forklift incident reminder for companies to learn from mistakes
Risk & Compliance

Forklift incident reminder for companies to learn from mistakes

A freight cage falling three metres left a worker with back injuries, prompting a GBP £250,000 fine and fresh warnings over forklift safety.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Thu, 28th Mar 2019