A reality series on TV one gives New Zealanders the chance to experience the work that goes on behind the scenes of workplace incidents and investigations. This series is a timely reminder to New Zealand that health and safety is no joke.
Special Investigators follows workplace health and safety inspectors for the Department of Labour, Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime New Zealand going about their daily business, and showcases the variety of hazards people can encounter in the workplace.
Viewers will get to see the depth of investigations that go on when someone is killed or injured at work - something they would never normally experience - and they may be surprised how much work goes on in determining what went wrong, and ensuring lessons are learnt from these incidents.
All of the serious workplace incidents could have been avoided. A case study on each episode is provided below with links to relevant safety information;
Season 2
Episode 6 Crane rope break
During work on a construction site at a Christchurch shopping mall a crane is being used to move heavy steel beams. A worker is lucky to escape with minor injuries after a crane rope snaps and a half tonne steel beam falls to the ground.
Episode 3 - Concrete Fatality
A simple dismantling job went horribly wrong at Lyttleton Port, Christchurch when a concrete panel weighing four and a half tonnes tipped over, crushing a labourer against a wall.
Episode 3 - 5m Construction Fall
On a construction site in Christchurch a worker’s first day on the job goes horribly wrong when he falls five and a half metres from a roof.
Episode 2 - Paper Reclaim Fatality
Stephen Williams, a forklift operator at Paper Reclaim, is fatally injured after being crushed by bales of paper each weighing more than half a tonne. It’s an absolute tragedy. The victim leaves behind a wife of 30 years and four children.
Episode 2 - Mission Bay Trench Collapse
A contractor is trapped in a deep hole at a residential driveway and rescue services are working to reach him. Department of Labour inspector Tracy Colby is called to the scene.
