Drug survey
OPINION: New national data from The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA), a leading workplace drug tester, shows methamphetamine (meth) use is growing and making up a disproportionate share of nonnegative workplace drug test results.
A Kaikoura employer who didn’t provide appropriate eye protection has been sentenced for failings that cost a young worker his vision in one eye.
Daniel Anderson, an agricultural fencing sole trader, had a 17-year-old worker who was chiselling when a piece of metal flew into his right eye in March 2020. Despite multiple surgeries, the teenager lost sight in the eye.
Anderson did not notify WorkSafe of the injury, as required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Several months later the victim’s mother did so, triggering an investigation.
When a WorkSafe inspector asked Anderson whether he told workers to use protective gear, his response was “I’m not their mother and going to dress them every morning”.
Anderson confirmed he had not provided full instruction to the victim on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses, because in his words “it was common sense”.
Anderson also indicated to WorkSafe he felt it was too expensive to buy PPE, saying “I’m too small for that sort of… carry on”.
Anderson was sentenced at Kaikoura District Court on 15 July.
Judge Raoul Neave ordered $22,500 be paid for emotional harm and consequential loss, given Anderson’s lack of insurance and inability to pay a fine.
WorkSafe’s national manager of investigations, Hayden Mander says the employer’s comments reflect an outdated, unacceptable, and cavalier attitude.
“A young man at the start of his working life now has seriously impaired vision. It’s astounding for an employer to not understand the seriousness of the situation,” says Mander.
“The cost of health and safety is part of the cost of doing business. The worker should have been provided with appropriate PPE, including eye protection, and required to wear it when using a chisel and hammer or any other task where there is a risk of an eye injury.”
Workers who are vulnerable because of age, inexperience, or conditions of employment may be less likely to question health and safety practices of to speak up if they are unsure.
“Beyond the obvious health and safety gaps in this case, it’s both illegal and morally wrong for an employer of any size to not notify WorkSafe of an incident like this. No employer is exempt,” says Mander.
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…