'Common sense' is not enough to reduce workplace risks
WorkSafe is urging employers to refrain from relying on "verbal directions" regarding workplace safety, as two agricultural companies were fined $270,000 after an employee was knocked unconscious by a vehicle while at work.
The victim is a 61-year-old worker who was hit from behind and collected by the bucket of a telehandler, an all-terrain vehicle used for lifting loads, according to WorkSafe. He was hospitalised with a bleeding skull because of the incident. He also lost his sense of smell and taste, along with light sensitivity, and was unable to work for nine months.
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Paul West, Worksafe's area investigation manager, said that despite traffic management being a well-known challenge to the businesses, "neither took any steps to address it." The companies only gave verbal directions, such as "use common sense," to address the dangers of traffic movement onsite, according to West.
"Relying on verbal directions in this way was completely inadequate," he said.
One of the companies was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and 48(2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, which state that employers have the obligation to ensure that workers are not exposed to death or serious injury from a mobile plant onsite. The other was charged under sections 37(1), 48(1) and 48(2)(c), which state that employers must ensure that employees are not at risk of death or serious injury in the workplace.
Both companies were jointly sentenced at the New Plymouth District Court, which imposed a $270,000 fine and reparations of $50,000.
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Employers whose work requires traffic management were also advised to take notice of the incident to avoid similar outcomes.
"One-way systems, clear separation between vehicles and pedestrians, designated crossing points, and speed bumps or signage are among the measures that could have made a difference here. All businesses whose work requires traffic management should take notice," West said.
