A worker was killed in a bitumen explosion in rural Waikato during a transfer process between two tanks, police say.
Terence James Milne (60) from Otorohanga, died from burns after being coated in the hot, oil-based material while working at Corboy Earthmovers' depot in Te Kawa, near Otorohanga, yesterday.
He died at the scene despite efforts to revive him.
"Initial indications are Mr Milne suffered fatal injuries during a process of transferring bitumen emulsion between two tanks using compressed air," Senior Sergeant Rupert Friend of the Waikato District Command Centre said this afternoon.
"It appears one of the tanks has failed and ruptured during this process. Earlier reports the incident occurred as a result of a collision between two tankers are incorrect."
Police were assisting WorkSafe New Zealand in the investigation into Mr Milne's death, Sen Sgt Friend said.
"On behalf of New Zealand Police, I would like to pass on our sympathies to Mr Milne's family for their loss," he said.
The death has been reported to the Coroner.
The Council of Trade Unions labelled the death another tragedy and said New Zealand's workplace fatality rates were too high.
Te Kawa Waitomo petrol station owner Paul Sandhu said everybody in the district who knew about the accident was devastated. He hoped the man's family were being supported. "It's really hard for the family."
He said Corboy owner Brent Pevreal came into the service station later in the afternoon.
"Everybody I've seen was really upset ... The guy who owned the company was here earlier and he was really sad, too."
Mr Sandhu said he just heard one massive "bang" when the tanker exploded.
Another neighbour heard a similar explosion. About 20 minutes later, she saw the Corboy premises swarming with emergency service personnel, and the Westpac Waikato rescue helicopter on site.
The workplace fatality was November's third. John Douglas Howe died last Wednesday when he was hit by a truck at a Mangere freight yard, and Mario Lelina was killed using machinery at a Southland goldmine on November 5.
Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff said the CTU was very concerned at the number of people being killed at work, "and today's death comes on top of far too many this year".
He said the country needed the situation to "improve dramatically", although legislative changes had helped achieve some progress.
But provisional statistics suggested about two-thirds of this year's workplace deaths had happened in industries the Health and Safety Reform Bill did not categorise as dangerous, he said.
No one at Corboy was immediately available to comment and police said staff at the company were too distressed to speak.
According to Corboy's website, the business has been providing "high-quality services to the rural sector" for 35 years. It says Corboy works on projects including bridges, underpasses, effluent pond construction and civil roading, excavator work and urban driveway entrances.
