A farm contracting company in New Zealand has been fined following the death of a young Irish man, who was electrocuted while working.
Sean Clear from Ballacolla, Co. Laois would have celebrated his 25th birthday just days after the accident on a farm near Whakapapa Village in February 2023.
He was a former graduate of Salesian Agricultural College, Pallaskenry and had been working in New Zealand since the previous autumn.
At the time of the incident, Clear’s mower had become bogged down, and a digger brought in to extract it contacted an overhead line carrying electricity at 33,000 volts.
As Clear was steadying the mower for extraction, the electricity passed through the digger’s arm and into his body, causing his death.
A WorkSafe investigation into the employer, Coogan Contracting, showed that the company failed to carry out a risk assessment to identify the overhead power lines as a hazard and have a spotter in place to ensure the lines were not contacted.
Coogan Contracting was sentenced at Taumarunui District Court on December 18 2024, where reparations of $100,000 were ordered. The fine was then reduced to $25,000 due to financial capacity.
New Zealand workplaces
WorkSafe is now urging businesses to prioritise safety near overhead electric lines, after three companies were sentenced within the last week for incidents that killed or injured workers.
Another man, Emmett Holmes-O’Connor was working on scaffolding that had been installed too close to power lines in May 2023 on Waiheke Island.
Aluminium cladding O’Connor was carrying touched the high voltage 11kV line, inflicting an electric shock that caused him to fall backwards nearly four metres off the scaffold.
The 31-year-old received major burns to his hand and foot, along with fractures to his spine and ribs.
WorkSafe’s area investigation manager, Danielle Henry said: “Both cases are an horrific reminder of just how dangerous it can be when businesses do not take enough care with working around power lines. Businesses must manage their risks and where they don’t, we will take action”.
WorkSafe’s targeted frontline activities will be increasing in both agriculture and construction sectors in New Zealand, with “opportunities to significantly improve health and safety performance”.