WorkSafe has convicted the Department of the Corrections once in the past decade, despite being notified of over 150 safety incidents. Photo / Greg Bowker
WorkSafe has convicted the Department of the Corrections once in the past decade, despite being notified of over 150 safety incidents. Photo / Greg Bowker
More than 150 incidents at Corrections facilities were reported to WorkSafe in the past decade but only two were investigated.
The Corrections Association is concerned over the lack of investigations and accountability.
Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says he’s working to address the threat of violence.
More than 150 incidents at Corrections facilities have been reported to WorkSafe in the past decade – but just two have been investigated.
Data released to Newstalk ZB under the Official Information Act showed of the 152 notifications since 2014 – 97 were for a notifiable injury or illness, 26 were for a notifiable incident, 28 were for serious harm, one was for a death.
Of the two investigations, only one resulted in a conviction, which was for the death of Robert Cave, who was crushed by a log during community work near Nelson in 2014.
As the Department of Corrections is a Crown entity, it wasn’t ordered to pay a fine but was still ordered to pay $172,000 in reparations.
He believed it was also concerning to see the only successful prosecution by WorkSafe be prompted by a death.
“What happens to those serious incidents where there’s a serious injury that could have resulted in death? Why are we not investigating those? Because, the point is, it’s supposed to be to prevent it from happening again.”
Corrections Association of New Zealand president Floyd du Plessis says the number of times WorkSafe investigated Corrections was 'shocking'. Photo / NZH
Du Plessis was also disappointed in the number of notifications, considering the “almost thousand assaults” on prison staff per year.
“The health and safety arm of the department is completely inefficient, and it does need a massive overhaul to fix and get that working.”
WorkSafe acknowledged the Department of Corrections as a place that was “somewhat unique in terms of risks and hazards” but added the number of notifications “would not be unusual” considering its size and number of facilities.
In a statement, the workplace safety regulator said it could not investigate every incident it was notified of, and its response was determined by policy, strategy, and where its efforts would have the greatest impact.
“WorkSafe has many approaches to influence businesses and organisations to meet their responsibilities. Other than a formal investigation, these include assessments, direct interaction with the organisation, directive letters, infringement notices and others.”
Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell says the threat of violence in Corrections cannot be eliminated entirely. Photo / Marty Melville
Corrections Minister Mark Mitchell said he was addressing the threat of violence through the Reducing Violence and Aggression (V&A) Join Action Plan.
The plan included an additional 685 frontline Corrections staff, and legislation to make a specific offence for assaults on first responders, which would bring mandatory prison sentences.
“The reality is the threat of violence is something that cannot be eliminated entirely,” Mitchell said.
“But I’m committed to doing everything possible to minimise this risk.”
The Department of Corrections declined to comment.
Jordan Dunn is a multimedia reporter based in Auckland with a focus on crime, social issues, policing and local issues. He joined Newstalk ZB in 2024 from Radio New Zealand, where he started as an intern out of the New Zealand Broadcasting School.
