Hawkins accepts judge’s verdict with remorse

14 December 2010

Media Statement

Hawkins accepts judge’s verdict with remorse

Hawkins Construction has accepted the sentence and a fine of $36,000 handed out by the District Court at Auckland today following the death of a worker on one of its construction sites a year ago, saying its sympathies remained with the family of the deceased worker, and that safety improvements had arisen from the tragedy.

On 12 November 2009, Mr. Raymond Allen died as a result of falling 10 metres on the 12- storey Britomart East building site in Auckland city. Hawkins, as principal contractor, pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety in Employment Act in failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that Mr Allen was not harmed. One of Hawkins subcontractors also pleaded guilty.

Chris Hunter, CEO Hawkins Construction, said that the company accepted its part in this terrible incident.

“At this time our thoughts are with Mr Allen’s family and his work colleagues. We still feel the family’s tragic loss and ongoing pain, and have been doing what we can to support them.

“While reparations cannot compensate for their loss, Hawkins and its subcontractors have paid the family reparations,” says Hunter. “Hawkins has also worked alongside the Department of Labour to establish a thorough understanding of the incident.

“Despite safety being our number one priority, this incident has prompted an even greater focus. We have improved our protocols to deal with the complexity and potential dangers that modern building sites present,” says Hunter.

“We are doing everything we can to prevent a similar incident re-occurring and ensure that at all times safety on our sites remains our number one priority.

“We hope that the Court’s ruling, together with the work that has been shared industry wide on lessons learnt, will bring some consolation for the Allen family who continue to be very much in our thoughts,” says Hunter.

Ends

About Hawkins Construction Limited
Hawkins Construction Ltd is one of New Zealand’s largest privately owned construction companies delivering diversified development, construction and environmental services across a broad range of sectors within the commercial and infrastructure markets. With a turnover of $520m for the 2010 financial year, Hawkins is 100% owned by the McConnell Group, one of New Zealand's largest privately owned construction, property and infrastructure groups.

www.hawkins.co.nz

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