The Department of Labour has laid 25 charges against three individuals related to the Pike River disaster.
However both the nature of the charges and the names of those charged are suppressed.
I’d say this was inevitable given the basic safety failures at Pike. It’s just a pity that it’s taken this tragedy to draw the attention of the DoL.
It would be a small silver lining if the Pike tragedy provoked a greater emphasis on health and safety in Kiwi workplaces and a more proactive approach from DoL and the government. I’m not holding my breath.
Note: I’d imagine the suppression won’t last long but while it’s on I’d ask commenters not to speculate about the identity of the accused.
Speaking as a bleeding heart liberal who has always tried to see the best in people and understand the fragility of human kind I say lock them up and throw away the key. When workers lose their lives because someone is trying to maximise the profit something is really wrong.
I say lock them up and throw away the key
Yeah, who needs a fair trail and a Court process? Waste of time. Very bleeding heart liberal of you. Especially when they have not even been charged under the Crimes Act, but under the Health & Saftey act, which provides for fines only, not imprisonment.
“the Health & Saftey act, which provides for fines only, not imprisonment.”
Meh. Without reference to the current case, that could probably do with a tweak in principle. Although I’m not a “throw away the key” (“Key” another matter) kind of guy.
Um QSF it was a rhetorical flourish but check out section 49 of the HSA which has a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.
See my 1.1.3
Clarification: there is imprisonment for some Health & Safety Act breaches, however the charges that have been laid today only provide for fines, not imprisonment.
How do you know QSF? The nature of the charges has been suppressed …
Gone quiet all of a sudden. How peculiar.
must be bedtime…
Via TVNZ:
Via Stuff:
Then, if we look at the Health & Safety Act, we see that it is section 50 of the Act that provides a max fine of $250K. That section does not include imprisonment. If they had been charged under s 49, which MS rightly notes does include imprisonment, then the maximum fine would be $500k:
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1992/0096/latest/DLM279656.html
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1992/0096/latest/DLM279658.html
There’s something like 25 charges. I’m sure that they will cover more than one section of the act.
Personally though, I’d prefer that they all get fined the $250k and not allowed to be a manager again ever in their lives.
The 25 could be multiple counts of one or two charges though.
he got an email from John Key !!!
Interesting discussion, chaps. These are only the DoL charges. The criminal charges are yet to come.
Name suppression. Slithery whale ooze should be on this like butter on a scone.
That was then , this is now.
Hes now wearing the mantle of the Kiwi Roland Freisler
gwwnz – Referring to Roland Freisler. I hadn’t heard of him and have just been looking him up on google. Got onto a YouTube clip of him raving in a 1944 court and then turned to the pics relating to the White Rose, where they honour with photos and music the group that tried to mount a confronting information campaign against the Nazis. That was quite a journey starting from Pike river and a low integrity internet commentator.
Piffle.
The suppression orders are in place so the accused cant be named, this used to be one of the oily orcas rallying cries.
However his court conviction seems to have led to a backdown and now hes decided to be a full time rabid demagogue with the backing of the National party research unit.
Fits the Freisler m.o. to a T
gww – Who are you piffling and why?
“Check inspectors were abolished in 1992 and a mine inspectorate was dismantled in 1998.”
The real villains are going to get off scot-free.