Company fined after New Zealand worker loses arm in conveyor belt incident

A New Zealand cement company has been sentenced for breaching health and safety regulations after a worker lost his arm in a conveyor belt incident.

The company was fined $297,000 and ordered to pay reparations of $60,000 to the victim after pleading guilty to a WorkSafe charge of failing to ensure the health and safety of the worker.

The worker was cleaning a conveyor belt when his arm was severed by the machine in November 2021.

“This life-changing injury could have been avoided if the machinery was properly safeguarded to industry standards,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Paul Budd.

WorkSafe issued a reminder to businesses to make safety a priority when working with moving machinery after the court’s verdict.

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