Sentencing after building structure collapse

The Department of Labour says making sure standard industry health and safety practices are implemented in workplaces will go a long way toward reducing New Zealand’s unacceptable level of work place accidents.

The advice follows the sentencing of Bluegold Southern Limited and Ronald Alan MacDonald today in the Christchurch District Court.

Bluegold Southern Limited (formerly known as Kiwispan Christchurch Limited) was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay reparation totaling $23,000 and Ronald Alan MacDonald, a self-employed project manager trading under the name “Select Tec” was fined $47,600 and ordered to pay reparation totaling $23,000 when a building structure collapsed and left two workers seriously injured in July 2009.

The two workers were working on the steel frame of a 1296 square metre building using a scissor lift. The scissor lift was extended approximately 4.5 metres above the concrete slab the building was being constructed on when the steel frame collapsed onto the scissor lift toppling it onto its side throwing the two workers to the ground.

The Department of Labour’s Christchurch Service Manager, Margaret Radford says if this building frame had been braced in accordance with standard industry practice, in all likelihood the two workers would not have been injured.

“This accident was preventable and the two workers were very lucky that they were not more badly injured.
“Employers and people in charge of workplaces have a duty to make workplaces safe for their workers”.

Bluegold Southern Limited faced a charge of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees while at work and Mr MacDonald faced a charge of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction while at work harmed any other person.