Court Summary - at a glance

Date of offence:
15 January 2016
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Final decision date:
 
Fine imposed:
$70,400

Safety lessons learned:
  1. Identify and document potential hazards in its entirely;
  2. Ensure all hazards are clearly communicated to workers;
  3. Ensure all safety procedures and controls are clearly documented and communicated to workers;
  4. Ensure workers have been trained in accordance with training policies before they work unsupervised;
  5. Ensure all workers are supervised by a person with the required knowledge or expertise in the relevant work so that workers are doing the work safely; and
  6. Ensure there is on-going regular monitoring of safety procedures to ensure all workers are aware of relevant safety procedures and control measures for the task they are undertaking and ensure they are complying with those safety procedures and control measures.

Defendant name:
Affco New Zealand Limited
 
Industry:
Manufacturing
 
Date of offence:
15 January 2016
 
Facts in brief:
The defendant is in the business of meat production and export, operating ten meat production facilities throughout New Zealand, including Rangiuru.

On the day of the incident, the victim, employed as a labourer on the mutton slaughter floor was undertaking the Pull Shoulder task with another worker. A clean pull of the hide from the shoulder of a mutton carcass was not completed so the victim followed the carcass approximately 5 metres down the chain to complete the pull. The victim got caught under the chain which resulted in them being dragged by the chain before another worker was able to press the emergency stop button.

As a result the victim suffered a laceration to their head, contusions and a chipped molar.
 
Offence section:
Sections 6, 13(b) and 50(1)(a) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
 
Date(s) charged:

Court:
Tauranga - District Court
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Final decision date:
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Fine imposed:
$70,400
 
Maximum fine available:
$250,000
 
Reparation:
$10,000 for emotional harm
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