Electrician killed at Fonterra plant

Police, the Department of Labour, and Fonterra are investigating an accident which killed an electrician working at Fonterra's Whareroa plant, near Hawera, on Friday.

Hawera police said today that Andrew Paul Smith, aged 44, of Hawera, had been installing a new piece of equipment when it appeared that he was struck a severe blow to the head.

He was married with three children.

The Whareroa site is the largest dairy factory in the Southern Hemisphere and employs about 1000 workers.

Department of Labour (formerly OSH) Taranaki manager Brett Murray said the department's investigators had looked at the scene on Saturday and would conduct a thorough investigation.

Fonterra spokesman John Redwood said Fonterra and the contracting company would launch their own investigations into the accident.

He could not comment on the circumstances of the accident, or say if Mr Smith was working alone at the time.

"We don't want to go into detail until the investigation is complete," he said.

"I don't want to try and piece things together in a haphazard way."

- NZPA