New Zealand pest control business fined for exposing workers to hazardous substance

A New Zealand pest control business has been fined $250,000 for exposing employees to a hazardous substance, following a WorkSafe investigation into acute methyl bromide poisoning suffered by workers on site.

Summary: WorkSafe New Zealand's probe found the pest control company relied on faulty Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) instead of following proper risk management practices, leaving staff exposed to toxic fumigants. Some workers weren't wearing RPE at all, while others had equipment that failed to form a proper seal.

What Happened at This New Zealand Pest Control Business

WorkSafe New Zealand launched an investigation after employees suffered acute methyl bromide poisoning while carrying out fumigation work. The inquiry uncovered serious gaps in how the business managed risk to worker health.

Investigators found problems with RPE fitting, and some staff were not wearing protective gear at all during fumigant exposure. This raises significant safety concerns for any New Zealand pest control operation handling hazardous substances.

Why Relying on RPE Alone Fails Safety Standards

"Businesses shouldn't rely on RPE as the main way to look after the health of their workers. They need to consider the hierarchy of controls. This is a requirement under the Health and Safety at Work (General Risk and Workplace Management) Regulations 2016," says Api Poutasi, Manager Health, Health & Technical Services at WorkSafe.

"In this case, workers were exposed due to the way the work was carried out, or due to ineffective respiratory protective equipment."

Effective management of workplace risk means businesses must look beyond RPE as a standalone safety measure. Employers exposing staff to hazardous substances without proper controls in place risk both employee wellbeing and severe financial penalties.

RPE Fit Issues: A Critical Safety Failure

"Workers wearing RPE should be clean-shaven. Even a small amount of stubble can prevent a proper seal from forming. Vaseline does nothing to help this, and workers will still be wearing RPE which hasn't formed a seal based on incorrect information from their employer."

This detail highlights how seemingly minor management oversights around RPE fitting can create major health hazards on site. Pest control employees handling toxic fumigants depend on correctly fitted equipment to avoid exposure to hazardous substances.

Training and Maintenance Gaps Compounded the Risk

WorkSafe's investigation also found that workers had not been adequately trained to clean and maintain RPE equipment. Without proper maintenance, even well-fitted RPE loses its ability to protect against toxic exposure.

For pest control businesses across New Zealand, this case underscores why ongoing management of RPE cleaning, storage, and inspection is essential to worker safety, not optional.

Key Lessons for Pest Control and Other Hazardous Substance Industries

This case offers important lessons for any business managing exposure risk to hazardous substances:

• RPE should never be the sole control measure — hierarchy of controls must guide health and safety management decisions
• Facial hair and improper fit can compromise RPE seals, undermining worker protection
• Staff require proper training on RPE cleaning and maintenance to sustain safety over time
• Businesses exposing workers to toxic substances without adequate controls face significant fines and reputational damage

Similar enforcement actions have occurred elsewhere, including a Melbourne quarry fined for exposing workers to silica dust and Queensland builders fined for exposing workers to fall risk, showing regulators across the region are prioritising worker health protections.

Strengthening Safety Management for Pest Control Businesses

Businesses operating in pest control and other hazardous substance industries should ensure comprehensive safety management systems are in place, covering risk assessment, RPE selection, fit-testing, and staff training.

SafetyDocs offers a range of safety documents for New Zealand businesses to support compliance with health and safety regulations, including tailored management resources for hazardous substance handling. Our Pest Control SWMS Pack and HSW Manual for New Zealand provide practical management services to help businesses build robust, compliant safety practices from the ground up.

Employers can also draw on our Hospitality HSWA services for New Zealand and broader management templates as reference points for structuring hazardous substance risk controls across other high-risk sectors.

Final Thoughts

This WorkSafe enforcement action against a New Zealand pest control business serves as a clear reminder: exposing employees to toxic fumigants without robust risk management and properly fitted RPE carries serious consequences.

Businesses must move beyond treating RPE as a checkbox exercise and instead build genuine safety management systems that protect worker health at every stage, from risk assessment through to ongoing training and equipment maintenance.