A worker's life-changing injuries at a commercial bakery have exposed fundamental safety failures that WorkSafe says are far too common across New Zealand workplaces.
The worker's hand was pulled into machine rollers at French Bakery in Christchurch in April 2023. His index finger was amputated, thumb partially amputated, and middle finger crushed.
Following a WorkSafe investigation, the company admitted work health and safety failures and has now been sentenced in the Christchurch District Court.
"This incident did not merely affect my hand. It shattered my livelihood, destabilised my family's future, and left me with a permanent physical and emotional wound," says the 41-year-old father, who has name suppression.
The case highlights three critical lessons that every business with machinery must act on.
Lesson 1: Lockout failures
Workers were cleaning and maintaining machinery without any method to ensure it couldn't be turned on while they were exposed to moving parts. Some had never been trained or given proper equipment.
"Lockout/tagout isn't optional. It's a fundamental safety control," says WorkSafe principal inspector, Shaun Millar.
"One worker turned a machine on while another worker had his hand inside it. That's the nightmare scenario that proper lockout procedures are designed to prevent."
![[image] Lockout sign and lock](https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/assets/Tile/AdobeStock_1711721958.jpg)
Lesson 2: Incomplete risk assessments
French Bakery's risk assessments identified some hazards but completely missed the crushing risk from rotating parts inside the machine involved.
"A tick-box risk assessment is worse than useless because it creates a false sense of security," says Inspector Millar. "You need to systematically identify every way a worker could be harmed, including during cleaning, maintenance and repairs, not just during normal operation."
Lesson 3: Training and supervision gaps
Although the business held extensive documentation, workers reported they had not seen lockout tags used, did not know where equipment was kept, and had not been trained in essential procedures.
"This wasn't a freak accident. This was entirely preventable," says Inspector Millar. "Every business with machinery needs to ask themselves: could this happen here? If you can't confidently answer 'no', you have work to do.
"The solutions aren't complicated or expensive. The cost of not doing it is measured in workers' lives and livelihoods."
WorkSafe's role is to influence businesses and workers to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe. When they do not, we will take action. Manufacturing is one of New Zealand's most dangerous sectors, which is why it's a strategic focus for WorkSafe.
