Forestry company fined for overlooking risk which led to fatality

A forestry company that failed to assess risks on a wood block that resulted in the death of a worker has been fined.

Sullivan Contractors was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and reparation of $365,225 to the victim's family in the Whangārei District Court on Tuesday after a worker who had been felling trees was found unresponsive under a fallen tree in May 2017.

There were no witnesses to the event, however, an investigation found it was likely that a tree the worker had felled had brushed past a dead tree, causing the dead tree to uproot and fall, pinning and fatally injuring the worker.

WorkSafe area manager Danielle Henry said Sullivan Contractors had failed to assess the block effectively for risks before beginning work.

"The number of dead trees in the block should have been properly considered for the risk they posed and proper ways of working around them should have been managed.

"WorkSafe guidance recommends that dead trees be machine-felled where possible before manual felling takes place.

"Sullivan Contractors should have completed a full hazard and risk assessment of the block before work took place.

"This would have helped them identify appropriate controls that needed to be implemented to ensure workers health and safety."

Asian Natural Resources Limited, who Sullivan Contractors were working for, was also sentenced today and fined $7000.

The court found the victim's death was not caused by Asian Natural Resources failure, they were sentenced under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 for failing to consult and coordinate with Sullivan Contractors.