Auckland Ecostore worker’s eyes permanently damaged in chemical accident

The Ecostore worker's eyesight was damaged while at work.

• An Auckland Ecostore worker’s sight was permanently damaged after hazardous chemicals sprayed into his eyes at work.
• WorkSafe investigated and accepted Ecostore’s commitment to improve health and safety measures.
• Ecostore paid over $20,000 in compensation and promised a “holistic cultural shift” in safety.

An Ecostore factory worker’s sight has been permanently damaged after a pressurised hose sprayed hazardous chemicals into his eyes while he was making dishwash powder.

WorkSafe investigated the incident, which happened in Pakūranga on March 7, 2023, and has today accepted Ecostore’s commitment to make health and safety improvements.

WorkSafe detailed the incident: “The [worker] had completed blending the dry ingredients and commenced adding the liquid ingredients via the pressurised-pot spraying system.

“He had walked ... away from the spray system when one of the hose clamps failed,” the safety watchdog said.

“[This] caused a vertical spray of litres of mixture ... about six metres in the air from the pressure pot outlet.

“The [worker], who was initially well clear of the spray, walked back to the pressure pot to shut it down.

“In doing so, he was showered with liquid. He had not been trained to respond appropriately to a release of a pressurised substance and the correct use of PPE [personal protective equipment] for such situations.”

WorkSafe said Ecostore acknowledged “that some workers, including the injured person, had not received adequate training in chemical safety, emergency procedures relating to chemical spills and a release of substance under pressure”.

Ecostore also acknowledged some workers had not been given adequate training about PPE requirements, were not given the appropriate PPE and the worker was incorrectly allowed to assess his own injuries and did not get the appropriate first aid.

Ecostore group chief operating officer Tony Acland said they “deeply regret the serious harm experienced on our site”.

“We acknowledge the professional and personal impact such an experience has on an individual, as well as the wider team,” Acland said.

“Safety is a cornerstone of Ecostore. We recognise the importance of going beyond just compliance, and we take our responsibility to ensure the health and safety of our employees incredibly seriously. We are committed to continuous improvement in this space and have already implemented numerous advancements.”

Ecostore applied to WorkSafe for an “enforceable undertaking”, a binding commitment to make changes.

Ecostore called its changes a “holistic cultural shift”, with a promise to install security cameras with artificial intelligence to identify health and safety issues and a new layout to protect workers.

The company has also paid the victim more than $20,000 in compensation and has funded a pilot training programme by Blind Low Vision NZ to support companies employing visually impaired workers.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.

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