The Bay's most dangerous jobs

No bones about it, working in a meat processing plant has been revealed as the most dangerous job in the Western Bay of Plenty.
Figures released to the Bay of Plenty Times under the Official Information Act show the Department of Labour (DoL) has investigated more workplace accidents involving meat processing than any other industry in the region over the past five years.
Kiwifruit growing and grocery stores also featured as high risk. Since 2005, 122 people were hit by moving objects in accidents investigated by the department. One-hundred and sixty-seven people suffered fractures, the most common injury. It is followed by 83 workers who suffered open wounds.
Affco New Zealand Limited's Rangiuru plant on State Highway 2 have had 72 workplace accidents in this time. It is the highest number in the region, with 59 cases requiring DoL action.
These involved 12 open wounds (including an amputation), 12 cases of suspected leptospirosis, sprains, strains and deafness.
Leptospirosis is an infection commonly transmitted to humans by allowing water contaminated by animal urine to come in contact with breaks in the skin, eyes or with the mucous membranes.
In 2007, ACC confirmed Te Puke man John Taewa died the year prior after contracting leptospirosis while working at Affco's Rangiuru plant. His widow Cathy also worked there but left a few years earlier after getting sick with the infection.
Of the investigations into Affco, 33 were resolved and 26 required no further action by the DoL. Affco declined to comment when approached by the Bay of Plenty Times this week.
Tauranga team leader for the DoL Steve Worsley said meat processing was a mostly physical job that had not received a lot of attention in the past.
Mr Worsley said the department has worked closely with Affco over the past 12 months and there had been improvements in this time.
"The nature of most of the work naturally involves working with animals, knives, machinery or animal handling and throwing large parcels around. From woah-to-go, unless you are in the office, working in meat processing can involve risk."
Seventy-seven workplaces have been investigated more than once during the past five years, including Seeka Kiwifruit Industries Ltd. Kiwifruit growing ranked second on the list of most dangerous jobs.
Seeka health and safety manager Heather Johnston suggested a reason was because of the size of the industry.
During peak harvest season Seeka employs more then 2600 people and usually has about 25 per cent of the industry's workers. About 50 per cent of Seeka staff work in "safety-sensitive" roles.
"We do need to consider the significant number of people the industry employs and the number of incidents versus number of people employed to put this into perspective," Ms Johnston said.
Seeka had experienced a "dramatic" reduction in failed drug and alcohol test results after adopting active drug testing two years ago, she said.
The organisation also adhered to a DoL health and safety project in this time.
Employers can be fined as much as $500,000 plus reparation of any level. The DoL can also prohibit an item of a plant, machinery or stop entire workplaces from operating if it is believed to be hazardous.
A Western Bay workplace has not been stopped from operating over the past five years but prohibition notices have been issued 91 times for distinct items or plant or machinery.
The information supplied to the Bay of Plenty Times from the Department of Labour from 2009 onwards is provisional; some cases are still open and potentially subject to change.
The statistics do not include serious harm and fatalities in the maritime or aviation sectors or due to work-related crashes on the road, or fatalities from long latency diseases caused by exposure to hazardous substances.
PAYOUTS
Case studies:
Some of the highest penalties employers in the Western Bay have faced over the past five years.
2010
Total fine: $30,000
Total reparation: $6000
Defendants: Charles David Shoosmith
Circumstance: Employee was injured while riding on a kiwifruit bin trailer. His foot became caught between the trailer and the ground, bending it backwards.
Injuries: His foot was fractured and ankle dislocated
2009
Total fine: $38,000
Total reparation: $40,000
Defendants: Genera Ltd
Circumstance: A hydraulically operated rolling system fell off a forklift, injuring a new employee.
Dislocated shoulder and fractured vertebrae
2009
Total fine: $15,000
Total reparation: $15,000
Defendants: Stephen Charles Fisher
Circumstance: Fell 4m on to a pathway from an A-frame trestle platform which was supported under one leg by a paint tin.
Fractured right ankle and shattered knee bone.
2008
Total fine: $14,000
Total reparation: $18,000
Defendants: Bay Pallets Ltd
Circumstance: Saw accidentally activated while piece of wood was being measured.
Amputated the top joint of three fingers
2007
Total fine: $30,000
Total reparation: $65,000
Defendants: Preco Ltd
Circumstance: A lifting beam slipped off the forklift tines and struck an employee who was working in the steel concrete bed.
Contusion with intact skin/crushing injury
2007
Total fine: $5000
Total reparation: $15,000
Defendants: Acrow Ltd
Circumstance: Forklift came down the slope, forks first, the 576kg load slid forward and fell, sending scaffold framing tumbling onto the driver, who was beside his truck.
Leg, foot and cheekbone fractures, scalp lacerations and nerve damage to his jaw.
2007
Total fine: $1000
Total reparation: $3000
Defendants: The Pool Shop
Circumstance: The man was not given gloves and was told to use a handheld brush to apply dilute hydrochloric acid to tiles.