23 Jul 2015

Penalty over barge death disappoints widow

9:47 am on 23 July 2015

The widow of a man killed on a barge at West Park Marina in Auckland says if the industry does not get serious about safety, there will be more deaths.

Peter Bateman died in November 2013, after being crushed between a turning excavator and the wall of a hopper.

His wife, Deidre Bateman, said she was disappointed with the penalty given this week to the company, Dredging New Zealand, which was fined just under $80,000 and ordered to pay $42,000 in reparation.

Ms Bateman said that it was not about the money, it was about making sure it does not happen to anyone else.

''It was a tragic, terrible, awful accident and unless things are tightened up in that company and that industry, it will happen again."

Ms Bateman said unions must be given more power to shut down dodgy worksites and enforce safety protocols.

Get the RNZ app

for ad-free news and current affairs