David Burton is an employment law barrister and a regular opinion contributor.
OPINION: Managing health and safety at work is everyone’s responsibility. People often get hurt because nobody has thought about how the work might be dangerous. Sometimes people are harmed because they have not been trained to do their job safely.
Accidents at work are very common. The statistics are frightening. It is reported that about 50 people are killed at work in New Zealand every year, and more are seriously injured. Each year, an estimated 600 to 900 people die from work-related disease. If that is correct, a worker is more than 10 times likely to die from a work-related disease than from an accident at work.
Two recent sentencings in the District Court illustrate the importance of taking health and safety seriously, no matter the size or complexity of the work environment.
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