Non-seatbelt use linked to multiple work deaths every year
OHSAlert reports that a WorkSafe New Zealand data analysis has found that not wearing seatbelts in work vehicles is a major contributing factor to fatal work-related accidents in the country.
The regulator found that not wearing the safety device contributes to 52 per cent of all work-vehicle-related deaths and 15 per cent of all workplace fatalities, equating to about 10 lives a year. In the agricultural sector, non-seatbelt use contributes to about 40 per cent of vehicle-related deaths, and that out of every 10 fatalities where seatbelt use "may have been relevant", nine people were not wearing them. "If all agricultural workers wore seatbelts, claim costs to [the Accident Compensation Corporation] could be reduced by almost $2 million a year," the regulator said.
Read more: Almost half of vehicle-related deaths on farms could be avoided if seatbelts used. Guidance on seatbelts at work. WorkSafe NZ. Source: OHSAlert