SAFETY INSITE WINTER 2011 - Site Safe
SAFETY INSITE WINTER 2011 - Site Safe
SAFETY INSITE WINTER 2011 - Site Safe
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Prosecution Corner - News from the Courts<br />
There are unfortunately many within our industry who still refuse<br />
to acknowledge the serious risks associated with construction<br />
activities. For those who need to hear about 'the stick' before they decide to change what they<br />
are doing, in this Prosecution Corner is a snapshot of two prosecutions and fines from within<br />
our industry. We would like to thank <strong>Safe</strong>guard, as prosecution information has been<br />
reproduced from <strong>Safe</strong>guard CourtBase, www.safeguard.co.nz.<br />
Man thrown 2.5m into the air<br />
A construction company was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $15,000 under<br />
s15 of the HSE Act when a man was thrown 2.5m into the air while attempting to act as a<br />
counter weight to a tipping bobcat. An employee of the company was using the bobcat to<br />
unload blocks weighing up to 2 tonnes, when the bobcat's maximum capacity was 815kg. The<br />
injured man, who landed on the cab of the bobcat before falling to the ground suffered<br />
fractures to his wrist and two ribs, and cut his head.<br />
Toppled crane results in fine<br />
A crane company was fined $22,000 under s50(1)(a) of the HSE Act after a crane toppled<br />
over with its boom fully extended onto a fence, footpath and road. The crane's stabilisers<br />
were incorrectly set on sand which gave way.<br />
8 broken ribs from 2.7m fall<br />
A roofing company was fined $10,000 under s6 after an employee fell while laying rubber<br />
membrane. The man lost his balance on a scaffolding plank, which had skewed, and fell back<br />
through a suspended ceiling 2.7m to the carpeted floor below, breaking eight ribs. The DoL<br />
said temporary guard railing or edge protection was required, or the covering of voids with<br />
thick sheets of plywood or scaffold planks.<br />
Council has built up a significant knowledge base on the quality of work being carried out by<br />
contractors working within the Council's area of responsibility.<br />
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