Dodgy crane safety inflicts misery for teen worker

Source: Worksafe New Zealand

22 February 2025

Old equipment repurposed by businesses must be safe to use, WorkSafe New Zealand says, following sentencing of a Rotorua company whose modified crane became a weapon that changed the life of a teenage contractor.

Harrison Gilbert was struck in the face by an untethered 412-kilogram steel beam being manoeuvred by the mobile crane at Lakeland Steel in Rotorua, on the day of his seventeenth birthday in October 2022.

Mr Gilbert was knocked unconscious and received over 100 stitches in his face, a broken eye socket, a broken nose, several smashed or lost teeth, and skull fractures. He required facial reconstruction surgery and has more to come.

A WorkSafe investigation found the mobile crane had no certificate of inspection, no load safety devices fitted, and unclear labelling on its controls. The load should have had a tag line or tether to steady it. The crane appears to have originally been a log skidder bought in the 1970’s by the previous owner of Lakeland Steel. At some point in time, it was modified into a crane which was inherited by the current owners who did not maintain it.

Mr Gilbert had not been trained in any of the activities associated with the crane, and was dividing his attention between the load and working with the crane operator when he was hit.

“This young worker was traumatically let down through no fault of his own. Simply put, the crane should not have been operational,” says WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Paul West.

“Businesses must manage their risks. This includes regularly checking all their equipment to check it’s fit for purpose and compliant. Pay extra attention to modified or older equipment so it doesn’t get neglected while still operational.”

The Crane Association says the incident highlights the importance of ensuring freely suspended crane loads are controlled by a tag line or tether.

“In an industry full of risks, it’s important to understand all the elements that contribute to working safely. Businesses must train their staff in selecting and properly using tag lines, because you don’t want injuries like these on your conscience if things go wrong,” says the Association’s chief executive Sarah Toase.

WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe. When they do not, we will take action.

Read more from the Crane Association on tag line safety(external link)

Background

• Lakeland Steel Limited was sentenced at Rotorua District Court on 20 February 2025.
• A fine of $234,000 was imposed, and reparations of $54,131 were ordered
• Lakeland Steel was charged under sections 36(1)(a), 48(1) and (2)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015
  • Being a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU), having a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers who work for the PCBU, including Harrison Gilbert, while the workers are at work in the business or undertaking, namely using a T-Lift Mobile Crane to move steel beams, did fail to comply with that duty, and that failure exposed the workers to risk of serious injury or death.
• The maximum penalty is a fine not exceeding $1.5 million.