Today's Diamond Harbour Hearing Brings To Light Council's Health and Safety Shortcomings
The Wigram fronts the council committee over the Diamond Harbour saga that saw at least 5-7 injured, incl. a traumatized girl, and a complete breakdown in council/contractor communications.
This morning Kelly Barber, the Health and Safety and Wellbeing committee chair said the council has had some “learnings” from the Diamond Harbour crush injury saga. But, under questioning, he could not specify what it had learned or whether council would commit to an independent audit of the saga or its own health and safety processes.
During Waitangi Weekend at least 5-7 people were injured after jamming their hands in a Hunter Construction pontoon that was under construction. The injured included an 8-year-old girl and a 27-year-old woman who had the bone and nails on two fingers removed during surgery.
The 27-year-old Katrina Jensen fell prey to the pontoon’s vice like grip on Friday, 3 February at the beginning of the long weekend. Earlier in the day Hunter had closed up and left the site. Jensen was taken to Accident and Emergency, which suffered a power black that night.
The following Saturday morning, a friend contacted the council and told them what had happened. Inexplicably, the project manager, (who has since left her job,) delayed her warning to Hunter Construction until that Sunday. Then, for no known reason, Hunter waited until the following Tuesday to make the pontoon construction site safe, after the end of the long weekend.
Pictured: The Council pontoon where the injuries occurred.
Between the Saturday and the Tuesday, four more people suffered hand injuries. The group included a traumatized 8-year-old girl, Zoe Gallo Sultan.
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