3 Jun 2011

Worker dies at Transpower site

3:26 pm on 3 June 2011

A contractor is dead and another is in critical condition after an accident at a Transpower work site at Makara near Wellington.

The accident happened near Oteranga Bay at about 8.30am on Thursday. Police say it appears the two people were in the bucket of a four-wheel-drive hoist vehicle, similar to a cherry picker, which fell sideways down a hill.

The workers were employed by the electrical services company Electrix. The general manager, Robert Ferris, says the accident is a tragedy and the company will launch its own investigation into the incident.

Police say they will be speaking to about a dozen people who witnessed the accident.

Transpower says the work crew of up to about 40 staff have been stood down while it investigates.

The Department of Labour will be also investigating and the incident has been reported to the Coroner.

A crew member on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Dave Greenberg, says when rescue workers arrived, co-workers were performing CPR on one of the men, while also comforting the other.

Dave Greenberg says the man receiving CPR was pronounced dead at the scene, and the man who survived suffered serious chest and leg injuries and was taken to Wellington Hospital.