Steel beam crushes man's leg

A man is in Hawke's Bay hospital after a steel beam at his workplace crushed his leg.

A man is in hospital with "serious" injuries after his leg was crushed by a steel beam at an industrial worksite in Pandora yesterday.

According to a Hawke's Bay Hospital spokeswoman the 41-year-old was listed as being in a stable condition last night.

St John Ambulance Hawke's Bay Territory manager Brendon Hutchinson said they transported the patient with "serious" leg injuries.

WorkSafe New Zealand confirmed it had been informed of the situation but was not sure if any further action would be taken.

"We are making further inquiries into the incident to determine whether an investigation will take place," a WorkSafe spokesperson said.

Parliament caused a stir in August when it passed the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The National Government claimed the changes would address New Zealand's workplace safety standards, while Labour claimed a watering down of the legislation would lead to additional deaths and injury.

The legislation passed by 63 votes to 59.

The push for reform came in the wake of the 2010 Pike River mine disaster in which 29 workers lost their lives.

The law will come into effect in April 2016.