A 19-year-old man had to have three of his fingers partially amputated after his hands were drawn into a conveyor belt at a leading stone fruit producer in Central Otago.
Matthew Nevill had worked at Clyde Orchards for four consecutive summers before the incident occurred in February 2021.
He had been trying to fix a chain on a conveyor belt when his hands were drawn into the machine.
It fractured two fingers on his left hand and resulted in three fingers on his right hand having to be partially amputated.
A WorkSafe investigation found poor safeguarding of the machinery and an inadequate risk assessment contributed to Nevill's injuries. There were also no lockouts to safely isolate and de-energise the parts of machinery that could cause harm to workers, WorkSafe said.
Clyde Orchards was sentenced in the Alexandra District Court on Friday over the incident. It was fined $225,000 and reparations of $37,465 were ordered.
"The injuries in this case were significant and affected the independence of Mr Nevill, who was on his fifth consecutive summer working for Clyde Orchards. Although he was the unfortunate victim, it could have been anyone on staff given the risks that were present,” WorkSafe's area investigation manager Steve Kelly said in a statement.
"Seasonal workers are just as entitled to health and safety protection as those who work year-round in a business. The shortcomings in this case are simply not good enough, when we know seasonal workers are at greater risk of workplace harm," he said.
"Seasonal work and tasks like harvest can put a huge amount of pressure on everyone involved, so managing the risks is essential. The lives, health and well-being of workers must be your number one priority. We will continue to hold manufacturers to account for failing in their health and safety responsibilities."
The conveyor which left Nevill seriously injured has now been decommissioned.
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