Coroner slams labelling as 'beyond belief'

By PATRICK GOWER

A worker crushed and killed by a garbage compactor which had only Japanese-language instructions on it was the second death of its kind this year in an industry dominated by imported trucks.

A coroner has described the Japanese labelling as "beyond belief", and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) officials hope the deaths will be a "catalyst for change" as they crack down on at least 50 companies.

Father-of-four Wayne Ronald Anderson was crushed when working on a rubbish truck at the Horotiu dump near Hamilton in March.

Five months later, teenager Brady Williams was crushed and killed in Pakuranga.

In his ruling on Mr Anderson's death yesterday, Huntly coroner Bob McDermott said he had "grave concerns for the safety of any operator who uses such waste disposal vehicles".

He also broadly criticised OSH for not prosecuting the truck's owners, saying it encouraged a "lemming-like" philosophy that if all do it, then it is inevitable, in the industry.

"It is distressing to have to hold an inquest on a worker when he had been put into a work situation which was potentially dangerous and as it turned out, lethal."

The court heard how Mr Anderson was pulled from the compactor clutching some wire.

The 35-year-old was working alone when he bumped the sensitive start button as he reached into the back and the rotating blade dragged him through the compacting cycle.

He was found trapped in the back by a nearby worker who had noticed something was amiss.

"As all the instructions were in Japanese I was hesitant in moving the compactor for fear of worsening the situation," Ambrose Alexander told the court.

He decided to wait for emergency services instead, which Mr McDermott said would have been too late if Mr Anderson could have been assisted, although it appeared he had died instantly from head wounds.

Mr Anderson worked for Waharoa-based company Wheelie Bins. Owner Kevin Anderson, who is no relation, said he was "the best man I ever had".

His widow, Shona, is now raising their children, aged between 2 and 12, in Te Aroha.

His father-in-law, Roger Eichler, told the Weekend Herald that although the family supported a national review of labelling on the trucks, they did not want to see Kevin Anderson prosecuted.

OSH Auckland regional manager John Forrest said last night that the coroner's ruling would be used to reassess decision-making about prosecutions.

OSH could not prosecute because the six-month limit had passed, but Mr McDermott said the police could still press charges.

Mr McDermott recommended that OSH vigorously pursue changes to the industry.

Mr Forrest said plans included meeting the Land Transport Safety Authority to push for adequate safeguards and English instructions as part of the warrant of fitness.

But getting alongside the fragmented industry would be difficult.

"Anyone can import a truck from Japan and ... drive around picking up rubbish. Changing that will be easier said than done."