KEY POINTS:
A fast-food outlet has increased security after a worker had her stomach sliced open by blades while cleaning the playground.
McDonald's worker Lisa Daurua, 16, told the Taranaki Daily News she believes the blades which cut her were deliberately placed in a pen in the playground tunnel and is frustrated police were not informed when she was first injured on January 24.
She is believed to have resigned yesterday.
Police and the Department of Labour are investigating the incident at McDonald's in New Plymouth.
But McDonald's head office said it was confident the blades found were not left as a malicious act and that increased security in all their restaurants would avoid copy-cat incidents.
Senior Sergeant Robbie O'Keefe yesterday said police would be interviewing the New Plymouth manager and the injured worker.
"We hope to have inquiries completed by the end of the week," he said.
A Department of Labour inspector visited McDonald's yesterday.
McDonald's manager Geoff Genner told the paper on Tuesday that extra checks of their playlands were under way following the incident.
However, it was not reported to police because a review of closed circuit video footage showed no suspicious activity in the two hours prior to the injury.
McDonalds Restaurants communications manager Kate Porter, of Auckland, said all 141 restaurants' playlands throughout the country were regularly checked and cleaned.
Since being made aware of what had happened at New Plymouth, all had increased the numbers of checks to avoid similar incidents, Ms Porter said.
- NZPA
