The Department of Labour has today confirmed it is prosecuting Watercare Services Limited and one of its contractors, Canadian Pacific Limited, following the 4 June 2011 gas explosion at Onehunga, Auckland.
One Watercare employee died and several other people were injured in the accident which occurred when a watermain that had been removed from service was being inspected.
The Department of Labour has advised Watercare that five charges have been laid against two parties alleging health and safety failures.
The parties are: Watercare Services Ltd, Auckland’s water and wastewater service provider, and Canadian Pacific Ltd, a specialist piping contractor based in East Tamaki.
Mark Ford, the chief executive of Watercare, said today:
“This was a tragic accident and we are committed to ensuring all possible lessons are learned.
“We have always had a strong focus on workplace health and safety and prior to this incident we had an 18-month period without a single lost-time injury.
“Preliminary inquiries show that the specifics of this incident – where reticulated gas entered a drained water main – appear to be unprecedented in the water industry anywhere in the world.
“We have cooperated fully with the Department of Labour in their inquiries and are continuing to do so.”