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Employee seriously injured while in "safe area"

Wednesday 6 July 2011, 4:55PM

By Department of Labour

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HOKITIKA

A Hokitika forestry worker was off work for months with debilitating spinal fractures, bruising and kidney injuries after he was hit by a log while in a designated safe area.

His employer, Thomas Logging Limited was today fined $17,000 in the Greymouth District Court and ordered to pay reparations of $20,000 following the accident in the Kaniere Forest Block near Hokitika last September.

The employee was sharpening his chainsaw in an area of the site designated for employees and visitors because it was originally located away from any hazards. However, the layout of the site had been changed two days prior to the accident. This meant that the safe area was no longer in a safe position.

At the same time another employee was using an excavator nearby to clear off cut logs. A 5.5 metre log came loose from the excavator hitting the employee in the back, causing his injuries.

“The company carried out a hazard identification before the work started, then two days before the incident they changed the layout of the work area without changing the designated safe area and that put employees in danger of being hit by moving logs and machinery,” says Christchurch Service Manager, Margaret Radford.

“This employee could have been spared these debilitating injuries if a simple hazard identification was done again after the site layout was changed, and the safe area moved,” Ms Radford says.