A Kaikoura employer has been fined $22,500 after failing to provide appropriate eye protection and neglecting to notify WorkSafe of a workplace injury where a teen ended up losing vision in one eye.
The 17-year-old was chiselling when a piece of metal flew into his right eye in March 2020. Despite multiple surgeries, the teenager lost sight in their eye.
The teen's employer, Daniel Anderson, an agricultural fencing sole trader, didn't notify WorkSafe of the injury, as required by the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Several months later the victim's mother did so, triggering an investigation.
When a WorkSafe inspector asked Anderson whether he told workers to use protective gear, he responded: "I'm not their mother and going to dress them every morning."
Anderson confirmed he hadn't given full instruction to the 17-year-old victim on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as safety glasses, because in his words "it was common sense".
Anderson also indicated to WorkSafe he felt it was too expensive to buy PPE, saying "I'm too small for that sort of... carry on".
Hayden Mander, WorkSafe's national manager of investigations, said the employer's comments reflect an outdated, unacceptable, and cavalier attitude.
"A young man at the start of his working life now has seriously impaired vision. It's astounding for an employer to not understand the seriousness of the situation," he said.
"The cost of health and safety is part of the cost of doing business. The worker should have been provided with appropriate PPE, including eye protection, and required to wear it when using a chisel and hammer or any other task where there is a risk of an eye injury."
Mander said workers who are vulnerable because of age, inexperience, or conditions of employment may be less likely to question health and safety practices or to speak up if they are unsure.
"Beyond the obvious health and safety gaps in this case, it's both illegal and morally wrong for an employer of any size to not notify WorkSafe of an incident like this. No employer is exempt," he added.
Anderson was sentenced at Kaikoura District Court on July 15, 2022, and ordered to pay $22,500 for emotional harm and consequential loss.
