Court Summary - at a glance

Date of offence:
10 January 2014
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Final decision date:
 
Fine imposed:
$12,500

Safety lessons learned:
  1. Ensure that all guarding is in place and locked whilst the machine is in operation and that keys for the guarding are secured in a safe place under the supervision of authorised personnel only.
  2. To have in place clear, unambiguous procedures for the cleaning process on the Franz Haas that ensured employees were not exposed to the unguarded, dangerous parts of the machine.

Defendant name:
Meycov Food Limited (Trading as Rutherford & Meyer)
 
Industry:
Manufacturing
 
Date of offence:
10 January 2014
 
Facts in brief:
The Defendant company traded as Rutherford & Meyer and is a biscuit and condiment manufacturer. On the day of the incident the victim was cleaning one of the machines in a cool down phase. The victim’s arm was trapped and burning in the machine for approximately 45 minutes. The victim’s arm had to be freed by attending emergency services workers. The machine had come with a factory standard guard; however, this was removed prior to the incident.

Victim suffered severe burns, significant skin loss, and subsequent muscle loss. The victim has undergone three operations to remove dead tissue/muscle and had major skin-grafting work. Further operations over the next five years are scheduled to transplant muscle to strengthen her arm.
 
Offence section:
S6 Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
 
Date(s) charged:

Court:
Wellington - District Court
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Final decision date:
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Fine imposed:
$12,500
 
Maximum fine available:
$250,000
 
Reparation:
$45,000
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