Property & Build New Zealand - Aotearoa's property and construction news for decision-makers
New Zealand

Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) Stories - Page 6

Kiwi Stories

Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) stories

Workplace Health and Safety: 2020 in review
Risk & Compliance

Workplace Health and Safety: 2020 in review

COVID-19 has accelerated remote-working and training risks as New Zealand’s workplace safety progress stalls and serious injuries rise.

By Michael Curreen • 6 min read • Wed, 13th Jan 2021
Leg crushed by unguarded machinery
Risk & Compliance

Leg crushed by unguarded machinery

The Auckland firm was fined USD $220,000 after a worker’s leg was amputated when unguarded machinery trapped him in a steel beam drill.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Wed, 9th Dec 2020
Fatal oversight costs company $375k
Risk & Compliance

Fatal oversight costs company $375k

Lax hazard checks before manual tree felling led to a worker’s death, with Sullivan Contractors fined and ordered to pay GBP £365,225 in reparations.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Thu, 3rd Dec 2020
Company fined $450k after removing machine guarding
Risk & Compliance

Company fined $450k after removing machine guarding

A worker suffered severe arm injuries after a tyre shredder was used without guarding, prompting a GBP £450,000 penalty and reparation.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Wed, 25th Nov 2020
$15k fine for unlicensed asbestos removal
Law

$15k fine for unlicensed asbestos removal

WorkSafe said workers were exposed to dangerous fibres after friable asbestos was stripped from a Queenstown property without a licence or safety plan.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Tue, 17th Nov 2020
Scaffold worker suffers chemical burns
Risk & Compliance

Scaffold worker suffers chemical burns

A communication failure left scaffold workers exposed to caustic soda vapour, causing chemical burns and triggering more than GBP £300,000 in fines.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Fri, 6th Nov 2020
Trainee fatality caused by lack of supervision
Risk & Compliance

Trainee fatality caused by lack of supervision

Supervisory lapses during a dive course exposed trainees to a risk of death, after a trainee diver died and the Defence Force was fined.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Sun, 1st Nov 2020
Botched electrical job shocks workers
Risk & Compliance

Botched electrical job shocks workers

Three workers were shocked at an Auckland site after unsafe testing and faulty wiring, prompting close to NZD $100,000 in fines.

By Michael Curreen • 3 min read • Mon, 26th Oct 2020
Two men sentenced after power pole comes down in Wellington
Law

Two men sentenced after power pole comes down in Wellington

Public safety was put at risk when poorly planned excavation brought down a power pole in Wellington, prompting fines for two men.

By Georgie Hughes • 3 min read • Sun, 18th Oct 2020
Young worker’s career cut short by unsafe machinery
Law

Young worker’s career cut short by unsafe machinery

A New Plymouth court has ordered more than USD $250,000 in penalties and reparation after a young worker lost three fingers in unguarded machinery.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Wed, 23rd Sep 2020
Rules for managing remote workers
Virtual Private Networks

Rules for managing remote workers

Working from home can trigger fresh obligations on contracts, safety, privacy and security, with employers footing extra costs.

By Georgie Hughes • 3 min read • Sun, 20th Sep 2020
Hellers pays $200K for worker’s lost fingers
Law

Hellers pays $200K for worker’s lost fingers

A Christchurch meat plant has been fined and ordered to pay reparation after a worker lost four fingers in a cleaning accident.

By Georgie Hughes • 2 min read • Thu, 17th Sep 2020
$100K fine for powerline accident
Risk & Compliance

$100K fine for powerline accident

A Rotorua logging firm’s failure to assess live powerlines left a worker with life-changing burns and triggered the penalty.

By Georgie Hughes • 2 min read • Tue, 8th Sep 2020
WorkSafe’s $200K electricity industry initiative
Disaster Recovery

WorkSafe’s $200K electricity industry initiative

A near-miss after the Kaikōura earthquake exposed switch-isolation failures, prompting over GBP £200,000 in safety initiatives for the electricity sector.

By Georgie Hughes • 4 min read • Thu, 3rd Sep 2020
Worker paralysed after fall awarded $400,000
Law

Worker paralysed after fall awarded $400,000

A badly installed roof hatch left a worker paralysed in a four metre fall, prompting over GBP £400,000 in reparations and losses.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Wed, 5th Aug 2020
Affco fined $46,000 for failing to control risks
Risk & Compliance

Affco fined $46,000 for failing to control risks

WorkSafe says the penalty follows a preventable eye injury that left a worker needing emergency cardiac surgery after animal-borne infection.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Sun, 2nd Aug 2020
Dangers of slopes results in fatality
Risk & Compliance

Dangers of slopes results in fatality

Businesses working on steep terrain face renewed scrutiny after a forestry rollover in Wellington killed a worker and left a company fined NZD $60,000.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Fri, 24th Jul 2020
Health and safety failures lead to severe burns
Risk & Compliance

Health and safety failures lead to severe burns

A worker’s life was changed after a boiler flare-up at a meat plant left him with burns to 75% of his body, WorkSafe says.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Fri, 17th Jul 2020
Injured migrant worker not aware of safe practices
Risk & Compliance

Injured migrant worker not aware of safe practices

A farm company has been fined GBP £281,250 after a migrant worker suffered life-changing injuries when crushed by a trailer.

By Michael Curreen • 2 min read • Wed, 1st Jul 2020