A contractor has fallen three metres after the
grating he was standing on gave way. The section of grating was missing some
clips and had not been checked before he began work.
The District Court has sentenced two companies
under the Health and Safety in Employment Act for failing to take all
practicable steps to ensure a contractor was not harmed doing work he was
engaged to perform.
Both companies have been fined $30,000 each. The
company who was responsible for the site, where the incident occurred, was
ordered to pay an additional $10,000 in emotional harm and reparation. The
contractor’s employer avoided this payment as the company had offered him significant
support after his fall.
Companies must identify and manage risks at work
sites before workers are put in harm’s way. A full hazard assessment of the
site would have identified the risk and fixing the grate would have eliminated
the hazard.
Alan Knowsley
Employment Lawyer Wellington
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