Wellington’s CentrePort has been sentenced and fined for the death of a worker who fell from a container in 2017.
The company was fined $506,048 at the Wellington District Court with judge Peter Hobbs describing the death a result of CentrePort’s “failure to develop and implement a safe system of work for repairs of containers”.
Teihi Whaanga was using a ladder to access the roof and undertake repairs on a 2.9 metre high container at the company’s assessment and repair facility.
He fell and hit his head on the concrete below in the January 2017 incident.
WorkSafe’s head of specialist interventions Simon Humphries says the incident was foreseeable and avoidable.
“There were numerous health and safety failings made by CentrePort that led to the worker’s death.
“The port had developed safe working procedures but failed to ensure that these procedures were implemented where the victim was working. WorkSafe also found that ladders were not being tied off and those that were in use were in poor repair, and there was no auditing to ensure that they were safe and appropriate for use. Further, there was no edge or fall protection in place to protect workers.
“Safe operating procedures are there for a reason, particularly in the case of working at height which is a well-known and significant risk and they must be implemented and fully embedded in a workplace.
“In addition, particular care and diligence should be taken to ensure that equipment that is used to access work at height is safe and in good working order,” Humphries says.
“The tragic death of this worker should serve as a reminder to every business whose workers undertake their duties off the ground that even a fall from a relatively low height can be fatal.
“This incident is a stark demonstration that complacency has no place in workplace health and safety.”
CentrePort says its “deepest sympathies and remorse” are with Teihi Whaanga’s family.
“Port workers continue to think of Teihi every day and his legacy lives on in the ongoing commitment to health and safety on the port,” it says.
