New Zealand Forestry Worker Injured In Safe Area

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 in New Zealand.

According to a report from the New Zealand Department of Labor, his employer, Thomas Logging, Ltd., was 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 the safe area was no longer in a safe place.

At the same time, another employee was using an excavator nearby to clear cut logs. A 5.5 meter 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,” said 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,” Radford added.

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