Coroner calls for workers to belt up

File photo / Northern Advocate

A coroner has called for workers' contracts to reinforce the fact that wearing seat belts in work vehicles is compulsory following the deaths of two shearers in a crash two years ago.

Otago Southland coroner David Crerar yesterday found that shearers Stewart Hetaraka Smith, 20, and Lavenia Setefano, 19, died when they were thrown from their work van near Poolburn in Central Otago on September 18, 2008.

Mr Crerar said he was satisfied they would have survived the crash had they been wearing seatbelts, the Otago Daily Times reported.

It was the legal responsibility of adults to use a seat belt in a vehicle, but there was anecdotal evidence of general neglect in shearing-industry employers using seat belts, he said.

"I do not know why there is the reported reluctance by employees in the wool harvest industry to use seat belts, but they fail to protect themselves at their peril."

He said a way to solve this problem was to adopt an ACC promotion of "day=glow" seat belt covers and the department facilitate it.

The covers encouraged the use of seat belts because when the driver turned around it was obvious who was not wearing them.

However, The Southland Times reported today that ACC had run out of the covers after a campaign to supply them to employers and said that no more covers would be made until more discussions with industry safety committees.

Mr Crerar ordered his findings to be sent to the New Zealand Shearing Industry, the Department of Labour, the Minister of Labour and the New Zealand Transport Agency

- NZPA