The District Court has convicted a company of health and safety breaches after a worker was injured when he reached into a machine. This triggered the machine to close and his arm was badly injured. The starting point for a fine would have been $400,000 but the fine was reduced to zero due to the financial state of the company. $20,000 reparation was ordered to be paid to the victim.

The company should have carried out an assessment of the guarding of the machine and ensured the guard met the required standards before putting the machine into operation. It should also have trained its employees on the safe use of the machine and had a safe system of working in place.

 

Worksafe v Newery Machinery Ltd 19/12/22 Whangarei District Court