Chainsaw kickback cuts up young worker

24 May 2006

A North Auckland couple who failed to provide a young employee with any training or protective equipment before letting him use a chainsaw have been fined for endangering him.

Warkworth dairy farmers David and Marilyn Gray were charged by the Department of Labour for failing to ensure the safety of the 18-year old farm hand, who was severely injured in September last year.

He suffered severe lacerations to his forehead, an eyebrow and eyelid, and from his cheek to his lip, when the chainsaw he was using to build a retaining wall on the Gray’s property kicked back, cutting his face.
The chainsaw had no chain brake system to stop it in the event of kickback, and the victim had not been provided with any protective clothing or equipment. The victim had only ever used a chainsaw once before, and was not suitably trained to do the job or adequately supervised.

The Grays were convicted this week of two charges each under the Health and Safety in Employment Act – of failing to ensure the worker’s safety and failing to adequately train him for the work required. They were fined a total of $4000 and ordered to pay $16,000 in reparation to the victim.

Department of Labour chief advisor, health and safety, Mike Cosman said shonky equipment in the hands of an inexperienced operator wearing no protective gear was a recipe for certain disaster. "Chainsaws do require a certain amount of skill on behalf of the operator, and it’s a huge risk to put a chainsaw in the hands of someone who’s hardly ever used one before and expect them to use it skilfully and safely," Mr Cosman said.

"When something goes wrong with a chainsaw, the results aren't pretty and are often life-threatening. In this case, the victim was lucky not to have been killed or lose an eye."

Young workers or those new to the job often needed more training and supervision as they were less aware of risks than older or more experienced workers, Mr Cosman added.
The Department of Labour has produced a useful safety guide for amateur chainsaw users

To the journalist: please note that health and safety services formerly referred to as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) should now be referred to as the Department of Labour.