Person falls into pit at Christchurch rubbish station days after council safety warning

Firefighters have rescued a person who fell into a pit at a rubbish transfer station in Christchurch.

A rescue crew was dispatched to Bromley just after 2pm on Sunday, and found a person in the transfer station’s refuse pit.

Hato Hone St John confirmed it treated a patient in a moderate condition.

The incident was just days after Christchurch City Council’s Resource Recovery team and site operator EcoCentral urged residents to be careful at transfer stations.

Resource Recovery Manager Dr Alec McNeil said dangerous incidents had been increasing at the city’s three transfer stations.

“We’ve recently seen an increase in numbers of children getting out of cars as well - as well as quite a few residents getting into the pit itself,” McNeil said at the time.

“This is extremely dangerous as there is heavy machinery operating in the pit at all times and hazardous debris in the area.”

McNeil said safety guidelines at transfer stations included:

• Ensuring children and pets remain inside vehicles.
• Make sure trailer loads are secured properly.
• Wear fully enclosed footwear.
• The pit should not be entered under any circumstances.

If a person accidentally dropped something in a pit, they should signal a loader operator from a safe distance or find a staff member.

“Transfer stations are busy places with high levels of traffic from both operational vehicles and other vehicles using the facility,” McNeil said.

“Please stay alert, be aware of your surroundings, and follow all signage and staff instructions.”

Over the past year, there were 116 incidents of children left unattended in cars and 28 people had been seen in the refuse pit at Christchurch transfer stations.

New signs have been erected and all people crossing a weighbridge will receive a safety information flyer.