Auckland mayor Phil Goff has written to Ports of Auckland to express concerns over the time being taken to provide feedback on an independent health and safety review.
Auckland Council announced an independent investigation into health and safety practices at the port in September last year following the death of a worker involving a shipping container.
Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) was appointed to lead the independent review.
“With three fatalities at the Port in recent years, and a number of other serious injuries, as its shareholder, Auckland Council wants to ensure that POAL’s health and safety culture and the systems it operates better meet its goal of a zero harm workplace. A safe working environment is integral to the operation of a successful business,” Goff said at the time.
In a recent letter sent by Goff to Ports of Auckland chair Bill Osborne, Goff says the company “does not show a willingness to be accountable for its performance”, RNZ reports.
“The time being taken by POAL to provide feedback to the draft CHASNZ review is unreasonably delaying the finalisation of the report.
“More importantly, it is delaying POAL taking positive steps to address the findings of the report.
“As a consequence of the issues outlined in this letter, I have a very low level of confidence that POALs in on course to improve this performance,” Goff says.
Osborne responded and said while the port company would try to improve its communication, it was giving its full attention and focus to the safety report, RNZ reports.
“Management have advised me that they support the recommendations in the report, some of which they have already implemented and still more are being worked on.
“I’m advised many of the recommendations in the draft CHASNZ report are in line with the actions already being taken across the business,” Osborne says.
The Maritime Union is also slamming the port over the delay in the public release of the review.
Union national secretary Craig Harrison says he does not know what company lawyers have to add to a report completed by health and safety experts.
“Workers have died and been seriously injured through preventable accidents at the Ports of Auckland, but POAL management is still controlling the process and failing to be transparent and accountable.”
Harrison says the Maritime Union represents the majority of stevedores at POAL, and MUNZ members at the port wanted to get the information from the report as it was their health and safety at risk.
