There were no rules displayed for the slide, no instructions were given, and no weight or age and there were no workers at the top of the slide at the time of its collapse, witnesses said.
They also claim people who were on the slide were not evacuated effectively or safely afterwards.
Today, Fun Solutions was sentenced in the Waihi District Court and fined $350,000, along with being ordered to pay emotional harm reparations of $40,000 and consequential loss reparations of $12,958.
Fun Solutions has had 11 prior interactions with WorkSafe, including an incident in 2015 at the Masterton A&P show where a huge slide became overloaded and collapsed – injuring six children.
The company's director, Eric Gerritsen, was fined $115,000 for obstructing WorkSafe's investigation.
A Fun Solutions slide also collapsed in 2016 at an event in Hamilton Gardens and 10 children fell about 10m. In response, WorkSafe issued a directive letter, and Hamilton City Council later banned the company from operating at the site.
WorkSafe area investigation manager Paul West said that on top of the latest incident, this company's safety record is extremely concerning.
"When people are on an amusement device, they have an expectation their safety is being looked after by the operator. Most operators in Aotearoa are aware of this expectation and strive to meet it, but this business has had numerous failings which is unacceptable."
"For that reason, WorkSafe expects improvement from the operator and will take further action if necessary."
