A man fell into a pit at Hastings District Council's refuse transfer station.
Part of the Hastings District Council's refuse transfer station was closed on Friday after a member of the public fell into a tip-face pit.
The man was not seriously injured, but was taken by ambulance to Hawke's Bay Hospital, from where he has since been discharged. The tip face at
the station off Henderson Rd, near Flaxmere, was closed on the order of WorkSafe, and reopened on Saturday morning after the fitting of a guardrail aimed at averting any similar mishaps, a WorkSafe spokesman said.
The Government's work-site safety agency, a branch of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), is investigating the incident, and was yesterday not releasing further details pending completion of the inquiry. Council group manager asset management Craig Thew said the incident happened on Friday and the tip face was closed late in the afternoon.
It opened on Saturday "as usual", with additional staff at the tip face over the weekend "to inform and assist our customers while temporary barriers are in use," he said. "The temporary barriers will make it slightly more difficult to empty rubbish into the tip but have become necessary to keep users safe," Mr Thew said.
"Council will continue to work alongside Worksafe to find a suitable long-term solution."
