Businesses need to understand the consequences of an incident involving vehicles can be severe, says WorkSafe
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A construction company has been ordered to pay fines, reparation and costs of more than $500,000 after a worker was crushed and killed when he was driving a truck.
The Blenheim District Court have determined that Crafar Crouch Construction (Picton) Limited should be fined following the fatal incident in June 2017.
A fine of $351,563 was imposed and reparation of $177,735 was ordered, including $115,000 for emotional harm ($26,000 already paid) and $62,000 for consequential loss.
The fatality occurred when the employee was driving a dump truck which veered off the road and down a bank in the Marlborough Sounds.
According WorkSafe, the vehicle killing the highest number of people is trucks, and businesses need to understand the consequences of an incident involving vehicles can be severe.
The WorkSafe investigation found numerous health and safety failings made by the company led to the worker’s death. Namely, Crafar Crouch failed to communicate, monitor and enforce policies that vehicles can only be driven by workers that were wearing seatbelts and had appropriate licenses.
Moreover, the worker was hired as a labourer and was not licensed to drive the truck which weighed more than six tonnes.
The investigation also found that Crafar Crouch allowed the worker to drive trucks on numerous occasions, despite being aware of their inexperience.
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The company was also aware of risks around driving on dangerous roads in the area, according to WorkSafe.
WorkSafe chief inspector investigations Steve Kelly said Crafar Crouch Construction (Picton) Limited had policies in place but failed to ensure they were “enforced and monitored”.
“Crafar Crouch had policies around vehicles but in this instance ignored them, and allowed someone with very little truck driving experience to jump behind the wheel,” said Kelly.
“The company was very aware of the risks involved and unfortunately this incident has ended with a young worker tragically losing their life and a family grieving for the loss of a loved one.”