Police name worker killed by falling glass

Jinsong Song was killed when glass hit his neck. Photo / Steven McNicholl

The name of a man fatally cut while handling glass at his import factory has been released.

Jinsong Song, a 42-year-old from the North Shore, died at import business Sharpeye, on Porana Rd in the Wairau Valley industrial zone, on Tuesday evening.

He and four other men had been unloading large sheets of glass from a shipping container.

North Shore area commander, Inspector Les Paterson revealed today that several sheets fell on the men and one broke, striking Mr Song in the neck causing fatal wounds.

The colleagues carried his body out of the container and called 111.

Police waited until 12pm today to release Mr Song's name as an immediate relative still had to be located in New Zealand.

"The Department of Labour and the Police acting on behalf of the Coroner will be making inquiries," Mr Paterson said.

Three other men received moderate injuries and were taken to North Shore Hospital but have since been released.

Yesterday, one man with a bandage on his head and another with a bandaged arm stood among at least a dozen people, heads bowed, around the container Mr Song died in for what appeared to be a small service.

Some knelt to burn fake money, which is often done by Chinese - who believe in reincarnation - when a relative dies to pave a safe journey to the next life.

They then hung black - the colour of mourning - material on the grated fence of the business.

Two people bought several pizzas for a luncheon after the service.

A sign on the gate, which had previously been covered by a police tarpaulin, read "No service until further notice".

The incident is the second fatal accident while working with glass in recent months. In November, Richard Strom, 56, died after he was crushed by a two-tonne crate of glass at his wholesale supply business in Greytown in the Wairarapa.

The Department of Labour, which is investigating the latest fatality, said yesterday its report into the death had been completed and would be forwarded to the coroner.

Since July 2006, 54 people working with glass had suffered serious injuries.

Lacerations were the main injury type, followed by crushing, the department said.