Company's Fifteenth Conviction

A company with 14 previous health and safety convictions was ordered to pay a total penalty of $10,000 yesterday for its latest breach of health and safety law.

Juken Nissho was sentenced to pay $10,000 after being prosecuted by the Occupational Safety and Health Service (OSH) for breaches of the Health and Safety in Employment Act (1992).

The sentencing comes after a worker was seriously harmed in an accident last year at the company's timber mill in Carterton, Wairarapa.

A woman fell approximately two metres onto a concrete floor while trying to un-block machinery. She sustained fractures to her pelvis, bruising to her pelvis, spine and head.

"Five days before the accident a worker had made a written suggestion that a safety barrier be installed on the edge of conveyor belt to prevent falls from that very point," said Kerry Gordon, OSH Service Manager Lower Hutt.

"New Zealanders being injured and killed and work is simply unacceptable, in this case the victim has suffered significant physical injuries.

"A practicable step the company could have taken would have been to have a barrier fitted to prevent falls from the edge of the conveyer.

"Everyone has the right to go to work and be safe. Companies must ensure that workplace hazards are identified and controlled correctly, and that their safety systems are constantly reviewed and updated," said Mr Gordon.

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