14 October 2015

Woodhouse wrote own worm farm risk list

Documents obtained by Labour show Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse was advised to include dairy as a high risk activity in new health and safety legislation but didn’t, Labour’s spokesperson for Labour Issues Iain Lees-Galloway says.

“Advice obtained under the Official Information Act shows agriculture and dairy were originally rated as high risk by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

“However, Michael Woodhouse decided he knew better and came up with his own high hazard list and sent it to officials to implement.

“The Minister was warned his list would lead to absurd results where agriculture would not be included but worm farms would be. He ignored this advice and ploughed on with his own agenda.

“Michael Woodhouse was also warned the industry data he was using for his high risk list was unreliable.

“Despite these red flags, the Minister chose not to correct his list before publicly releasing the categories.

“He then had the audacity to claim he didn’t know his special list would have such ridiculous classification outcomes.

“Michael Woodhouse He can’t worm his way out of this. He will be forever ridiculed as the Minister who made killer worm farms safer but failed to protect people working in some of New Zealand's most dangerous industries,” Iain Lees-Galloway says.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1510/OIA_HSR_Bill_Oct_2015.pdf

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