Meat company fined $20,000 for worker injuries

Canterbury Meat Packers was fined nearly $20,000 yesterday and ordered to pay compensation totalling $5500 to two workers injured at its Mid Canterbury plant.

Donna Meager injured her arm when it was trapped in a rotating offal auger while she was cleaning it, and Eruera Edwards hurt his hand on the conveyer belt mechanism of another machine.

The company, which employs some 800 people at its Seafield, Ashburton, site, had admitted two charges laid under Health and Safety in Employment legislation of failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the two were not exposed to hazards.

At yesterday's sentencing, Ashburton District Court Judge Edward Ryan said deciding compensation and fines in such matters was an inexact science and the company, despite two previous similar convictions, had a good safety record.

There were many danger points in an operation the size and scale of a meatworks.

Counsel for the meat company, Glenn Jones, said Canterbury Meat Packers accepted its failure under the Act, but it was not the only culpable party. It could not be responsible for the cleaning company which had employed Ms Meager failing to adequately instruct procedures, or for Ms Meager deciding to put her hand into the auger to clear a blockage.

Ms Meager was awarded $4000 by the judge for emotional harm arising from the incident and the company fined $12,000. She was trapped in the auger for some time waiting to be freed and has screws and a metal plate in her arm and scarring.

Ms Meager, who was working for the cleaning company contracted to the plant, was awarded similar compensation when the cleaning company was prosecuted last year over the same incident.

Mr Edwards, whose hand was injured in a conveyer belt operation, was awarded $1500 and the company fined $7500.

His injury was the second on the same part of the operation and occurred just days before scheduled work to install a metal safety guard.

Judge Ryan said the two charges did not represent a breakdown in general standards for Canterbury Meat Packers. He said all employers and employees must be on the alert and pro-active to determine practical steps to ensure health and safety in their workplaces were taken.

The company must pay compensation to the workers within 14 days and also pay court and prosecution costs.

- NZPA