SAFETY INSITE WINTER 2011 - Site Safe

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