WorkSafe issues warning to businesses following incident where teen worker was hit by steel beam

WorkSafe New Zealand reminds businesses to ensure the safety of repurposed old equipment after the sentencing of company, whose modified crane was involved in an incident that significantly impacted the life of a teenage worker.

In October 2022, the young man suffered a facial injury when an unsecured 412-kilogram steel beam, being operated by a mobile crane, struck him.

An investigation conducted by WorkSafe revealed the mobile crane lacked a valid inspection certificate, was not equipped with load safety devices, and had unclear markings on its control mechanisms.

WorkSafe said the teenage employee lacked training in the operations related to the crane and was distractedly focusing on both the load and the crane operator at the time of the incident.

“This young worker was traumatically let down through no fault of his own. Simply put, the crane should not have been operational,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Paul West.

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