Company not always responsible for mishaps

Editorial

I enjoy stories that in themselves beg debate on what is right or wrong. The case of Juken New Zealand's burnt worker, on our Saturday front page, is a good example of that.

In the purest sense, that's the essence of journalism. We report on what happened, and the public can make up their minds on the rights and wrongs.

In the instance of Juken, that same debate goes on in my mind as well, especially when it comes to workplace accidents.

If someone is injured or killed during the course of their work, there's got to be due process and an outcome under the law.

The company is inevitably going to get fined because out of the 999 things out of a 1000 the company did right in terms of safety, there always a worker who will prove to you, by getting hurt, that there's one more thing they could have done.

I accept that companies get penalised for workplace accidents, but short of total automation, accidents are inevitable because there's always someone who will stretch just that bit further on the ladder, who will try and fix something when they shouldn't, or take a chance because they've seen someone else do it a few times.

I am also uneasy about unions who come down heavily on a company after an accident, because I think personal responsibility should always be the prime issue.

I have worked on a building site in London when a young man died after falling eight floors, and he died because he was fooling around with his mates inside an air-conditioning shaft with no lights. He was smashed to bits.

We were picketed and harassed by several unions over subsequent days.

Our company was renowned for its over-the-top safety practices. Method statements and risk assessments had to be submitted if you wanted to scratch your backside. Safety goggles had to worn 100 per cent of the day. And yet we had a death. Corporate manslaughter was alive and well in the UK, and management were scared.

I grant you this is an extreme example, and I don't mean it to colour my view of unions. Nonetheless, I believe reputable companies do a great deal to safeguard their employees, but you can never think of every contingency. And that's because there's always a worker who will stretch that little bit too far.