Media Releases
Company to pay reparation of $18,000 after worker's arm amputated
Friday 20 February 2004
A local authority has been sentenced today after an employee was seriously harmed in a workplace accident on 26 March, 2003. The Council was ordered to pay $18,000 reparation to the victim of the accident.
Napier City Council was sentenced at the Napier District Court today by Judge Watson after being prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH).
The accident involved an industrial shredder used for mulching green waste at its transfer station. Napier City Council had modified the shredder by erecting a platform on the side of the shredder, which enabled employees to have access to the hazardous parts of the machine.
The accident occurred when employee's arm was drawn into the shredding blades during clearance of a blockage and was amputated to just below the elbow.
The company failed to take all practicable steps to ensure that the employee was not harmed while at work.
Hawkes Bay/ East Coast Regional Manager Murray Thomson said there were a number of steps the company could have taken, but most importantly, it should not have modified the shredder by erecting the platform, creating a significant hazard.
"Everyone has the right to be safe at work and companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that their safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated," he said.
