Tie caught in machine kills Auckland man

By PAUL YANDALL

An Auckland man has died after being strangled by his tie when it became caught in a sanding Machine.

Adriana Rodrigues, of Titirangi, was killed about midday yesterday while working in the sanding room of the Orthotic Centre in Ellerslie.

Police said that the 46-year-old, a manager and orthotist specialist at the centre, was sanding orthotic shoes alone in the room when his tie became caught in the large sanding machine he was using.

Work colleagues who discovered him later were unable to revive him and he died before ambulance staff could reach him.

Centre orthopaedist Dr Ross Nicholson said Mr Rodrigues was a South African immigrant who had been working at the centre for several years.

He said his death was a blow for the centre as he was well-liked there.

"He was very highly regarded and very competent."

Dr Nicholson said the company had begun an internal investigation to determine what went wrong and whether safety standards were up to scratch.

"We're trying to make sure there were no deficiencies in our set-up. Thus far, we don't know if that's the case and we're looking forward to making sure this sort of thing doesn't happen again."

The centre makes products which provide physical support to certain parts of the body.

Occupational Safety and Health's Auckland regional manager, John Forrest, said the machinery Mr Rodrigues had been using had been cordoned off.

An investigation into the accident had begun.