Media Release

20 March, 2009

The Department of Labour is urging the adventure tourism industry to look critically at its health and safety systems, in light of the Mangatepopo canyon trekking tragedy.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoors Pursuits Centre was today sentenced over an accident on April 15 2008, when six students and one teacher from Auckland’s Elim Christian College died in a flash flood.

OPC was fined $20,000 on each of the two charges it faced, a total of $40,000. It was also ordered to pay reparation of $60,000 to each of the seven families of those who died (a total of $420,000), and $5,000 to each of the four students who survived the accident ($20,000).

“The events of April 15 had terrible consequences for the victims, and were a tragedy for their families and friends,” says Brett Murray, the Department of Labour Central Region Manager of health and safety services. “The impacts spread out to a wide community of people, particularly the students and staff of Elim Christian College, and are still being felt.”

Mr Murray acknowledged that the accident was also a terrible experience for OPC and its staff members.

“No employer or workplace wants to be haunted by an experience like this. And I hope that today’s outcome will encourage others in the adventure tourism industry to look critically at their operations to ensure that they and their clients are never put in a similar position.

“I would urge them to start working on this today. Because this is the kind of tragedy that can happen to anyone involved in the adventure tourism industry if they don’t manage workplace hazards properly.”

The adventure tourism industry is regulated by the Health and Safety in Employment Act. The Act includes specific requirements for operators to identify and manage hazards in a workplace.

Mr Murray says now the department is no longer constrained by the legal requirements of a court process, it intends to engage with the adventure tourism industry to promote increased safety awareness and tighter risk management. “We will talk with them about the lessons from this investigation, and any safety improvements that may eventually come out of the Coroner’s inquiry and OPC’s own investigation into the accident.”

Note radio stations: we have audio for this release – you can download it from our website (see Downloads, top right column)

ENDS

Media contact 0274 422141 or media@dol.govt.nz.

Editor’s Note

Please note that health and safety services, formerly referred to as Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) should now be referred to as the Department of Labour.

Practical information on improving workplace health and safety is available from the Department of Labour and ACC websites.
www.acc.co.nz/injury-prevention/work-safety/acc-worksafe-cycle/index.htm
www.acc.co.nz/injury-prevention/work-safety/small-business-sme/index.htm
www.dol.govt.nz/onlinetools/index.asp
www.dol.govt.nz/onlinetools/index.asp
www.dol.govt.nz/online

Some industry associations also have best practice information.