13 June 2014

HarvestPro has been fined and ordered to pay reparations after one of its workers was hit by a log weighing more than a tonne.

Tau Henare was working on a logging operation at Whakaangiangi on the East Coast when the incident occurred in September 2012. His job was to attach strops to fallen logs, which were then dragged up a hillside to be prepared for transport away from the forest.

Mr Henare was hit by a log that had come lose from the jaws of a loader on a landing above and slid down a steep hillside. He suffered fractures to his arm and leg that have required multiple surgeries and left him unable to work.

HarvestPro New Zealand was found guilty at the Gisborne District Court under the Health and Safety in Employment Act of failing to take all practicable steps to protect the safety of Mr Henare. It was fined $80,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $40,000.

Judge Adeane found the accident was caused by the decision to allow Mr Henare to enter the danger zone at the same time that another worker was using the loader to stack logs on the landing above him.

The judge found there were practical steps available to limit the hazard, including improved communication and effective supervision.

WorkSafe New Zealand spokesperson Ona de Rooy says the work Mr Henare was doing was inherently dangerous, and HarvestPro had a duty to do more to protect his safety.

Source: TVNZ News