Shunning guidelines on safety far too big a gamble

There's no shortage of stories about companies who have ended up in court after failing to ensure the safety of their employees.

While you couldn't go so far as to call it a regular occurrence, sadly the prosecution of a company after an accident which has maimed or even killed a worker is no longer a particularly shocking or surprising event.

The most extreme recent example of this is the charges laid in the wake of last year's Pike River mining disaster.

But the injury which occurred to Affco worker Tony Healy at the company's Imlay plant is something a bit different.

In this case, a health and safety investigation has pointed the finger of blame squarely at Mr Healy.

Mr Healy's accident occurred on May 28, when he was pulled into a conveyor machine by his right arm, which became entangled around a roller.

He was trapped for more than 30 minutes before another maintenance worker found him and raised the alarm.

A health and safety inspector found Mr Healy had not followed several of Affco's safety policies and procedures, in particular by not carrying a radio with him, and by not having another person with him.

The Department of Labour has not taken any action against Affco, and Mr Healy has admitted not carrying a radio, because he felt it was too bulky for him to carry out his job as a maintenance worker.

Mr Healy's situation is not unusual - there are plenty of people, particularly those engaged in manual labour, who choose not to follow the prescribed safety procedures, in order to make their job a little bit easier, at least in their own minds.

Familiarity breeds contempt, and it's not hard to see how someone who had been involved in the same line of work for a long time could feel sufficiently confident to disregard recommended safety procedures.

But Mr Healy's near-miss should serve as a salutary lesson.

These rules are in place for a reason.

While there is no doubt Mr Healy went through an awful experience, it could have been much worse.

At least he's still alive.

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