Company sentenced after worker fatally crushed by near two‑tonne machine

An Ōtorohanga engineering firm has been fined and ordered to pay reparations after a worker was crushed to death while moving nearly two tonne piece of machinery at its workshop.

Peter Gray Engineering was sentenced in the Te Kuiti District Court on February 19 2026 over health and safety failures linked to the death of 31-year-old Mitchell Pool.

Judge Matenga ordered the company to pay reparations of $140,000.04 and imposed a fine of $9000.

Pool was killed in December 2023 while helping move a nearly two tonne press brake into the company's workshop. The machine became unstable and fell, fatally crushing him.

WorkSafe NZ said the work area had not been properly prepared for the move, meaning the press brake could not be shifted using a forklift. Instead, workers used moving skates, a stacker and a farm jack.

During the move, one of the skates caught in a crack in the concrete floor, causing the machine to topple and fatally crush Pool.

WorkSafe's investigation found the task was poorly planned, with no task specific risk assessment completed, unclear load limits, unsuitable equipment used, and workers exposed to serious crush risks.

WorkSafe said the incident highlighted a risk seen too often in small workplaces: jobs that fall outside day-to-day routines are tackled without enough planning, the right equipment, or clear safety controls.

"Small businesses often rely on experience and problem solving on the job. But when heavy machinery is involved, improvising can have fatal consequences," said WorkSafe central regional manager Nigel Formosa.

"Experience does not replace planning. Even skilled workers can be put at serious risk if the job hasn't been properly thought through."

Formosa said the case offered clear, practical lessons for small businesses across all sectors.

"This case shows why small businesses need to treat non routine work as high risk," he said.

"Know the load, use equipment that's fit for purpose, set the job up so safer methods can be used, stop and reassess when things change, and keep people well clear of crush zones."