11 May 2014

Minister urged to speak to widow

7:51 am on 11 May 2014

Labour says the Minister for Labour should speak to the family of a worker killed on a Tokoroa forestry block.

The Council of Trade Unions has been granted leave to charge the company that employted Charles Finlay with failing to take all practicable steps to keep him safe at work.

Mr Finlay died on the job last July; his body was found crushed by a log.

His widow, Maryanne Butler-Finlay, said on Friday she wants to meet Labour Minister Simon Bridges to tell him she is ashamed of him for not addressing forestry's health and safety issues.

Mr Bridges has not commented on whether he will meet Ms Butler-Finlay, but says he has encouraged the industry to report back swiftly with the findings of an independent inquiry into safety.

He said that since August last year, WorkSafe NZ inspectors have carried out 222 assessment visits, issued 299 enforcement notices, and ordered partial or full shut down notices to 25 operations.