WorkSafe has issued a safety reminder to construction firms after a company was fined $45,500 following a workplace incident that left a worker with serious injuries.
Ebert Construction Ltd was convicted and fined $45,500 and ordered to pay $55,000 reparation on Friday after a worker received serious head trauma and multiple fractures.
Ebert was working on the construction of a new dairy manufacturing plant in Pokeno in April 2015 when the incident occurred.
The firm had covered a hole in the floor with a steel plate, but had not bolted it down as required by the plans.
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Advertise with NZME.A cleaner moved the plate to assist a colleague who was vacuuming the floor and fell through the hole.
The firm was charged with failing to ensure the plant it supplied was safe for its intended use and found guilty following a trial in the Manukau District Court.
WorkSafe's acting deputy general manager of investigations and specialist services Simon Humphries said, "This is a simple situation – if the plans say bolt it down, there is no excuse for not doing so.
"A worker doing their job has been badly injured because Ebert didn't do the right thing.
"Ebert Construction had an absolute duty, as does every business, to keep workers safe.
"There is no excuse for failing to meet that obligation, and now there's a worker left with life changing injuries."
WorkSafe followed the sentencing with a reminder for construction firms and their contractors to follow through on their safety obligations.
