Rogue forestry operators on notice

The forestry industry is the most dangerous in New Zealand with 28 deaths since 2008.

Forestry operations in the Wellington region, including Wairarapa, have faced 30 health and safety enforcement actions in the past 10 months, says WorkSafe New Zealand.

The industry is the country's most dangerous, with 28 deaths since 2008.

WorkSafe issued 30 enforcement notices since August last year to operators, which can include written warnings, improvement notices, infringement notices and prohibition notices. Wairarapa-specific figures were not available.

Enforcement action can be taken for safety failing such as a written warning for a tree-feller operating without an available radio for communications, or a prohibition notice for an unsafe digger.

Three of the enforcement actions were prohibition notices issued for offences such as no procedure in place for breaking out, or a head breaker out making all the decisions for a haul line.

Juken New Zealand forest manager in Wairarapa Dave Hilliard said no accident in any industry was acceptable.

"The responsibility for that relies on the employer - which the focus is very much on at the moment - but it also relies on the employee that they comply with the expectations to work safely and that they keep themselves healthy, fit and alert."

As long as employers and employees were fulfilling those responsibilities, the company supported "any initiative that will reduce accidents".

During the past few years, the forestry industry's major players had been working hard to improve safety practices, Hilliard said.

The Wairarapa harvesting sector had grown by almost two-thirds in the past three to four years, which meant a "whole heap" of new people had entered the industry.

"That means there's a huge responsibility on the employers and the employees to ensure they're trained and capable of doing the job."

The figures follow the release this month of the Independent Forestry Safety Review panel's public consultation document highlighting industry health and safety concerns.

Almost 300 WorkSafe NZ enforcement actions had been taken nationwide since last August, including 25 partial or full shutdowns due to "imminent danger of serious injury or death", Labour Minister Simon Bridges said.

FIRST Union general secretary Robert Reid said a safety crisis had been unfolding in the forestry industry, with nearly 30 deaths and almost 1000 serious harm injuries in the past five years.

He was pleased the consultation document recognised that forestry health and safety problems were "driven by multiple factors and not just worker behaviours".

"For too long, injured or deceased forestry workers have glibly been described as the architects of their own demise.

"The document makes it clear that the problems in this industry are driven by multiple factors and not just worker behaviours.

"The combination of inadequate wages and conditions for this extremely physical work is experienced by many workers as grinding fatigue, affecting their mental and physical well-being."

The panel's discussion on worker participation and representation was critical, he said. Without a voice in the industry the crisis would persist and workers would continue to pay the price.

However, the Forestry Industry Contractors Association said the review lacked credibility.

Spokesman John Stulen said the panel had been unduly influenced by unions.

Most forestry operators were good, but WorkSafe NZ was under-resourced to catch "fly-by-night" farm forest operators, most of whom had never had an inspection, he said. APNZ