Worker missing at quarry – better health and safety laws needed

Workers across New Zealand extend their deepest sympathies and concern to family, loved ones and colleagues of the missing digger driver working at a North Canterbury lime quarry.

“Every worker should be confident that they can complete a day’s work and return home uninjured.” CTU President, Helen Kelly said.

“While the details of this specific accident are unknown we do know that already in 2015 two other workers have been killed in the quarrying sector.”

"It is tragic that these deaths occurred in quarries. Health and safety laws in mining were strengthened in 2013 responding to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the Tragedy at Pike River Mine. But after lobbying from industry and assurances that quarries were safer than mines, the Government excluded quarries from the protections of the new law.“

“One of the most important exclusions was industry health and safety representatives. These representatives go from workplace to workplace checking on systems and providing advice on best practice. Perhaps an industry health and safety representative might have provided advice that saved these workers’ lives.”

“Now the Government wants to change the general health and safety law to make it weaker, including removing health and safety representatives from workplaces of less than 20 workers – they do so knowing that more workers will die. Surely the Government doesn’t want the blood of more workers on their hands?”

ENDS

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