Businesses and workers must steer clear of power lines and plan work carefully, WorkSafe New Zealand says, following sentencing for a timber delivery that went tragically wrong.
Wesley Talakai was delivering timber to a residential site in Greenhithe when the truck-mounted crane he was operating struck live lines in August 2023. The 38-year-old died at the scene.
Mr Talakai raised concerns with his employer, NZ Solid, about limited space at the site and proximity to overhead power lines, however the company gave him a gate code to access the site and continue the work. The crane was operating just 2.5 metres from live lines - well inside the legal minimum of 4 metres. NZ Solid did not obtain consent from the line owner to work within that distance. The company has now been sentenced for its health and safety failures.
In a victim impact statement, Natasha Talakai told the court that the time since her husband's death had been "excruciatingly difficult, exhausting, painful, and lonely".
"This was a preventable death," says WorkSafe's regional manager, Brad Duggan.
"Working near power lines is a well-known hazard, and there are clear rules and guidance in place for a reason."
WorkSafe's investigation found serious failures in how the company planned and executed the job. It relied on verbal instructions, had an inadequate lift plan, and failed to properly assess the risks posed by overhead power lines.
"Risk management isn't a box-ticking exercise," says Brad Duggan.
"It's about making sure workers go home safe. That means planning the job, knowing the limits of your equipment, maintaining safe distances, and never assuming it'll be fine."
WorkSafe has online guidance available which is practical, legally grounded, and designed to help businesses and workers assess risk. WorkSafe's role is to ensure businesses and workers meet their health and safety responsibilities and hold them to account when they don't.
