Sentencing for a company whose timber delivery ended in tragedy has prompted renewed calls for improved safety around power lines.
Businesses and workers must steer clear of power lines and plan work carefully, WorkSafe New Zealand says, following sentencing for a timber delivery that went tragically wrong.
Wesley Talakai was delivering timber to a residential site in Greenhithe when the truck-mounted crane he was operating struck live lines in August 2023. The 38-year-old died at the scene.
Talakai raised concerns with his employer, NZ Solid, about limited space at the site and proximity to overhead power lines, however the company gave him a gate code to access the site and continue the work. The crane was operating just 2.5 metres from live lines – well inside the legal minimum of four metres. NZ Solid did not obtain consent from the line owner to work within that distance. The company has now been sentenced for its health and safety failures.
The crane truck near the power lines in Greenhithe in August 2023.
“This was a preventable death,” says WorkSafe's regional manager, Brad Duggan.
“Working near power lines is a well-known hazard, and there are clear rules and guidance in place for a reason.”
WorkSafe’s investigation found serious failures in how the company planned and executed the job. It relied on verbal instructions, had an inadequate lift plan, and failed to properly assess the risks posed by overhead power lines.
"It’s about making sure workers go home safe. That means planning the job, knowing the limits of your equipment, maintaining safe distances, and never assuming it’ll be fine.”
WorkSafe has online guidance available which is practical, legally grounded, and designed to help businesses and workers assess risk. WorkSafe’s role is to ensure businesses and workers meet their health and safety responsibilities and hold them to account when they don’t.
CARTERS understands the challenges getting materials to site and partners with customers to support safer deliveries. With convenient truck options, on site lift planning and a downloadable Onsite Delivery Guide, CARTERS offer a service that delivers real benefits.
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