A coroner has slammed New Zealand's "extremely poor" health and safety record during an inquest into a forestry worker killed in Wairarapa.
Reece Joseph Reid from Wanganui died on November 27, 2012, near Pongaroa. He worked for Taupo-based Great Lake Harvesting contracting company. The 23-year-old's inquest is being held at the Coroner's Court in Rotorua.
Coroner Wallace Bain addressed the court before witnesses were called highlighting the country's alarming forestry sector fatality rate. "The forestry industry has the highest rate of fatal and work-related injuries in New Zealand and the rate of ACC claims is six times the rate of all sectors," Dr Bain said.
"I've had information and research done in terms of the forestry coronial inquests and over the years there have been 31 work-related deaths between July 1, 2007 and August 31, 2013."
Dr Wallace said there were an average of five deaths a year in the forestry industry. Last year, 10 forestry workers were killed. According to an international study, New Zealand had the worst fatality rate compared to other OECD countries, Dr Bain said. "New Zealand's health and safety record is extremely poor. It is alarming in terms of the research conducted that New Zealand every year has an average of 4500 forestry workers, Australia has an average of 6800 and Canada had an average of 29,000.
