Ecostore will invest around $323,000 in health and safety after an Auckland worker’s sight was permanently damaged by chemicals.
The man had been working in a factory in the East Auckland suburb of Pakuranga when he suffered chemical burns to his eyes while making dishwasher powder in March 2023.
The injury caused permanent damage, impacting his vision.
He was trying to shut off a pressurised hose that had come loose and was spraying hazardous liquid into the air.
Ecostore was later charged with one offence of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
WorkSafe had found an inadequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly eyewear, staff training gaps for chemical handling and lack of emergency management.
In response, WorkSafe said Ecostore had committed to make what it called a “holistic cultural shift” on health and safety.
It applied to WorkSafe for an enforceable undertaking – a binding commitment to bring about health and safety improvements – which included the installation of CCTV systems which incorporated AI, a new working platform for liquids manufacturing and other new controls, funding a pilot programme by Blind Low Vision to educate and support businesses that employ visually impaired staff, with a focus on workplace health and safety, inclusion and well-being, as well as a webinar with the Employers and Manufacturers Association.
Ecostore had paid the worker $20,000 in financial compensation, topped up his ACC compensation until he resigned in July 2023 and made an additional payment of $20,000 after receiving further details about the emotional harm he had suffered.
Ecostore chief operating officer Tony Acland told RNZ it had taken the incident “really seriously”.
“We are looking forward to really pushing for change and improvement of culture.”
“We are committed to continuous improvement in this space and have already implemented numerous advancements.
“We also offer an anonymous reporting channel so our team can feel empowered to share all concerns.”
Acland said Ecostore saw the enforceable undertaking not only as an opportunity to improve its processes but as a chance to contribute to industry-wide, best-practice policy that improved the safety of everyone working in manufacturing.
“As a New Zealand business, we are dedicated to maintaining our high standards of safety for all of Aotearoa and are hopeful that sharing our health and safety learnings with other manufacturers will have a real impact on raising awareness and improving the culture in similar workplaces.”
WorkSafe regulatory support manager Mark Horgan said manufacturing was one of New Zealand’s most dangerous sectors.
“Businesses must manage their risks and chemical safety is non-negotiable. We are pleased to see Ecostore putting things right and being a change-maker in the manufacturing and distribution sector,” he said.
Horgan said WorkSafe would regularly monitor progress on the agreed commitments over the next two years and could resume prosecution of Ecostore if necessary.
“Ecostore’s investment exceeds what even the courts may have ordered in penalties.
“This demonstrates a substantial commitment to health and safety, with benefits circled back to the community, workers, and industry”.
Incorporating AI
Horgan said Ecostore was the third company to incorporate AI in an enforceable undertaking within the last year.
It had accepted a commitment from Trevelyan’s Pack & Cool – a kiwifruit and avocado packhouse in Te Puke – in March 2024 after a worker was run over while walking behind a reversing forklift. The worker’s left leg had to be amputated below the knee as a result.
Trevelyan’s Pack & Cool then fitted an AI pedestrian detection system to 40 forklifts.
At the time, WorkSafe regulatory support manager Catalijne Pille said artificial intelligence had significant possibilities for health and safety innovation.
“In this case, it’s about using algorithms and sensors to detect nearby pedestrians to reduce the risk of accidents and enhance workplace safety,” she said.
The second was Steel & Tube – a provider of steel solutions, which WorkSafe accepted a commitment to trial AI technology to identify situations or events that could indicate a risk to workers’ health and safety, and use the findings to drive continuous improvements in June 2024.
Acland told RNZ Ecostore would upgrade its analogue CCTV to digital, which could then allow it to link up to an AI platform.
“This platform will then monitor automatically when any of our team members come into an area of hazard, such as where there might be interaction with forklifts. We’re also going to be working on developing, through machine learning, an ability to identify whether the correct PPE is being worn at the time by our team.
“The software will send a notification to somebody with the responsibility to monitor it, and then we will be able to take action and ensure that our team members are safe – first and foremost – and then we’ll be able to take action and identify areas of risk to be able to better improve our system.”
