A student has been awarded $30,000 reparation after a bone-breaking 10-metre fall left him in a wheelchair for a month.
Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) was ordered to pay the student who fell during a high ropes course in March and suffered a fractured pelvis and elbow and a deep cut to his wrist that needed nine stitches.
The tertiary education provider was sentenced today in the Hamilton District Court after being found guilty of three offences under the Health and Safety and Employment Act, including failing to notify WorkSafe New Zealand that the accident had occurred.
Wintec also failed to ensure that the student was not harmed by the actions or inactions of its employee while at work and failed to take all practicable steps to ensure a hazard did not harm the student.
A WorkSafe New Zealand investigation found safety ropes had been incorrectly attached by an unsupervised student and karabiners were not attached correctly.
