Risk assessment stories
Businesses must review hygiene, distancing and contact-tracing controls as thousands return to work under Alert Level 2.
Queenstown looks most exposed, with tourism reliance and Airbnb saturation making its property market vulnerable to a COVID-19 downturn.
Workers returning to sites after lockdown face added risks from inactivity, mental strain and social distancing, says NZISM President Greg Dearsly.
An ageing, corroded pressure cylinder on a dairy farm exploded after repairs, killing a registered electrician and destroying the pump shed.
The dairy co-operative cut rollover risks by fostering open reporting and a fatigue-management programme for tanker drivers.
Lack of height-safety procedures left a teacher and student unconscious after a scaffold toppled during school lighting setup.
Falls from just a few metres can still kill, as complacency around ladders, roofs and trucks leaves workers exposed to severe head and neck injuries.
Regular safety audits are helping construction firms lift compliance, with Site Safe warning many still lag on new hazard rules and reporting.
Auckland childcare and property firms were fined after a dead tree crushed a playground, injuring four toddlers and a teacher.
A North Island firm has been fined and ordered to pay reparation after an untrained worker was left paralysed in a boom lift fall.
Neighbours were endangered and a wheelchair user trapped when a demolition error caused a gas leak and asbestos exposure risks.
A worker lost fingers in a machine incident after repeated safety warnings, leaving Alto Packaging facing a GBP £250,000 fine and reparation.
Construction workers face a hidden lung-disease threat as poor dust controls and weak monitoring leave many exposed to silica and wood dust.
A lack of consultation on a Southland milking shed build left two workers seriously injured, prompting fines of more than USD $300,000.
Two employers were fined after a worker’s arm was crushed during an x-ray machine removal, in a case WorkSafe says was easily avoidable.
Poor ventilation and missing protective gear left workers exposed to solvent vapours that can cause unconsciousness and death in minutes.
Workplaces that rely on a single dust reading or PPE could miss airborne hazards, WorkSafe New Zealand warns, risking worker illness.
A Christchurch food maker has been fined after a worker lost a thumb while cleaning an inadequately guarded blending machine.
Higher odds of coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation were found among Hispanic/Latino workers exposed to metals or pesticides at work.
The firm was fined NZD $315,000 and ordered to pay reparations after a worker suffered crush injuries in a roller accident.
