23 march 2011

Auckland-based Alpha Refuse Collections Limited was today fined $32,400 and ordered to pay reparations of $60,000 following the death of one of its employees in March last year.

William Noble Nicholas, 30 from Manukau was not rostered to work on 15 March but was helping employees with some roadside refuse collection work while getting a lift into the office The truck reversed out of the driveway next to a dairy in Mangere, running over Mr Nicholas, killing him.

An independent safety inspection showed that the truck had no reverse warning buzzer or reversing lights which is not acceptable, says the Department of Labour’s Manukau Service Manager, Craig White.

“These are basic safety measures which could have prevented Mr Nicholas’ death,” Mr White says.

“A traffic management plan should also have been in place, focusing on the particular hazard of reversing. The company should have made sure that all employees were aware of it and followed it.

“It would have made clear that no employees were to stand at the rear of the truck or on the rear tray of the truck while it was reversing and that the driver should not reverse until all employees were in sight.

“While Mr Nicholas wasn’t scheduled to work on the day of the accident, the company should have made it clear that only those rostered to work on the truck could do so.”

ENDS

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