A Kaikōura fencing contractor has been convicted and ordered to pay costs for failing to provide appropriate eye protection for an employee.
File photo. Photo: RNZ/ Rachel Thomas
Daniel Anderson had a 17-year-old worker who was chiselling when a piece of metal flew into his right eye in March 2020. Despite multiple surgeries, the teenager lost sight in the eye.
Anderson did not notify WorkSafe of the injury, as required, but several months later the victim's mother did, triggering an investigation.
The contractor was charged under the Health and Safety at Work Act and last week was sentenced to pay $22,500 in emotional harm and consequential loss in the Kaikōura District Court.
WorkSafe national manager of investigations Hayden Mander said when an inspector asked Anderson whether he told workers to use protective gear, his response was: "I'm not their mother and going to dress them every morning."
Anderson confirmed that he had not provided full instruction to the victim on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses, because in his words "it was common sense".
Anderson also indicated to WorkSafe he felt it was too expensive to buy PPE, saying "I'm too small for that sort of … carry on".
Mander said the employer's comments reflected an outdated, unacceptable and cavalier attitude.
"A young man at the start of his working life now has seriously impaired vision. It's astounding for an employer to not understand the seriousness of the situation.
"The cost of health and safety is part of the cost of doing business. The worker should have been provided with appropriate PPE, including eye protection, and required to wear it when using a chisel and hammer or any other task where there is a risk of an eye injury."
