Problems relate to RPEs and lack of exposure monitoring
A pest control fumigation service has been fined $250,000 for exposing its employees to toxic fumigants.
The Auckland District Court handed down the fine, under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, after the company failed to protect its employees from exposure to methyl bromide, hydrogen cyanide, and formaldehyde.
A WorkSafe New Zealand investigation said the company failed to ensure the safety of staff after some of them were caught not wearing their Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) properly, with some not even wearing them at all.
Api Poutasi, Manager Health, Health & Technical Services at WorkSafe, said in a statement that the practices around RPE were "seriously below" the standards.
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According to WorkSafe's investigation, the company was also propagating the myth of using Vaseline to help masks fit on employees with facial hair.
"Workers wearing RPE should be clean shaven. Even a small amount of stubble can prevent a proper seal from forming. Vaseline does nothing to help this, and workers will still be wearing RPE which hasn't formed a seal based on incorrect information from their employer," said Poutasi.
In addition, the company failed to train its staff on how to properly clean and maintain their RPEs, according to the probe. It also did not have a system in place that monitored the employees' exposure to toxic fumigants.
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The company's failure to protect its staff led to the acute methyl bromide poisoning of its workers, which eventually prompted the investigation.