Landfill worker critical after being ‘overcome by fumes’, rescued by firefighters

The Taylorville landfill, where two workers were hospitalised after inhaling fumes. Photo / Greymouth Star

A worker in a West Coast landfill was hospitalised yesterday evening with critical injuries after becoming overwhelmed by fumes at the bottom of a pit.

Fire and Emergency confirmed they used lines rescue equipment to perform a “snap rescue” and get the worker out.

The incident occurred shortly after 6pm, according to Greymouth Fire Chief Lee Swinburn.

Two people had been working at the bottom of the landfill on Taylorville Rd, near Greymouth, when they were overcome by fumes in the water they were standing in.

One of the workers managed to scramble to safety before calling emergency services. The other wasn’t able to get out.

Three fire units arrived at the scene, Swinburn said, and used lines rescue equipment to reach the bottom of the landfill’s pit.

The incident occurred shortly after 6pm, according to Greymouth Fire Chief Lee Swinburn. Photo / Google Maps

Breathing apparatus was placed on the worker left in the pit, who was quickly removed by firefighters and treated by St John Ambulance staff.

St John confirmed to the Herald the worker was taken to hospital with critical injuries. The other worker was also hospitalised.

Taylorville Resource Park, the company which manages the landfill would not reveal any further details of the incident to the Herald.

However, spokeswoman Ellen Taylor said the company was working closely with emergency services and WorkSafe.

”Inquiries are ongoing, basically, into what’s occurred onsite - so we can’t offer any further comment at this time,” she said.

WorkSafe confirmed in a statement it had opened an investigation into the matter and inspectors have headed to the landfill today.

It said the investigation would take up to 12 months to complete, a spokesperson said.

The Taylorville landfill has been the focus of a local controversy between councils in the past, around concerns about the future effects of the private dump.

Grey District Council didn't believe there was enough investigation into the safety of the landfill. NZPA / Ross Setford

According to the Grey District Council, the West Coast Regional Council initially gave the all-clear for the landfill to be established based on a report it submitted - claiming the risk to the district’s water supply was low.

However, the district council didn’t buy into that idea.

It released a statement in May this year, stating it was the council’s view the potential consequences of getting the risks wrong “warranted a higher degree of investigation to conclusively determine the risk prior to the establishment of the site”.

The regional council then shared consent documents with the district council, which had them reviewed by the engineering firm Tonkin and Taylor.

There was agreement from the firm that there was cause for concern, a meeting was held with both councils and local iwi and the regional council announced they would initiate an independent review of the consenting process for the landfill.

Around the same time, an abatement notice was served by the regional council to the landfill operator which required them “to cease the discharge of contaminants beyond the property boundary”.

However, a resident living near the Taylorville landfill said a strong smell had continued to be emitted from the site after the notice was served.

The local, who was a regular daily user of Taylorville Rd, said nothing had changed in the past week and the odour from the roadside drain running down below the private landfill was “still quite smelly”.

“I bike. For one, you get pretty close to that drain and the smell is in your face for quite a few minutes as you bike past... there has been no change,” he said.