Port worker still in intensive care

Emergency services attend the scene at Port Chalmers yesterday afternoon, where a straddle...
Emergency services attend the scene at Port Chalmers yesterday afternoon, where a straddle carrier toppled, injuring a Port Otago worker. Photo by Gregor Richardson.
An experienced Port Otago worker remains in a serious condition in Dunedin Hospital after a straddle carrier toppled 14m, trapping its pilot inside.

Emergency services were called to Port Otago at Port Chalmers about 1.15pm yesterday after the carrier overturned.

The pilot, understood to be a 26-year-old Careys Bay resident, is the intensive care unit, a hospital spokesman said.

The incident prompted the Maritime Union to reiterate its call for a sweeping inquiry into health and safety in the industry.

St John South Island communications adviser Ian Henderson said two ambulances and a rapid response unit responded to the crash.

The man was taken to Dunedin Hospital with ''very serious injuries'', he said.

The entrance to the port was closed as emergency services tended to the man.

Chief Fire Officer Stephen Hill, of Port Chalmers, said firefighters provided first aid to the man - who was trapped in the carrier's cab on arrival - until paramedics arrived.

They assisted with removing him through a window, he said.

Two specialist rescue appliances from Lookout Point and Willowbank attended the scene, but were not required.

Distressed colleagues gathered near the entrance of the port as the scene unfolded, while workers in nearby shops said they had not heard or seen the crash.

The carrier pilot is understood to have worked at the port for almost a decade.

WorkSafe investigating 

Port Otago chief executive Geoff Plunket said the cause of the crash was not readily apparent and he would not be drawn on the matter until an investigation was completed.

''It's very important that no-one speculate on what may or may not have happened,'' he said.

''WorkSafe are carrying out an investigation and we will be carrying out our own full investigation in the matter.''

The straddle carrier involved in the incident was less than 18 months old, he said.

Weather and surface conditions were clear at the time of the incident.

Further details of what caused the carrier to topple would be released when they became available.

A WorkSafe New Zealand spokeswoman said an inspector was at the port, investigating the crash yesterday.

Maritime Union national secretary Joe Fleetwood said the union would follow the investigation closely.

The union would support the man, who was a union member, and his family, he said.

Union wants widespread safety inquiry 

The incident reinforced the need for an industry-wide health and safety inquiry looking at all stevedoring operations in New Zealand.

Accidents in ports throughout New Zealand were an ongoing concern, he said.

Three people have died at Lyttelton Port in the past two years.

A man was pinned between a logging truck and a forklift in late 2013 and another man was struck by a crane grab while unloading urea in the hold of a ship just a month later.

The third fatality occurred in August last year when a man was killed when the scissor lift he was operating toppled over.

Port Otago revealed health and safety was a concern for the company when it released its review for the 2013-14 financial year.

The board formed a health and safety committee during the year and stated there was a ''continuous focus on improving health and safety performance''.

The company went 20 months without a ''lost time injury'' between 2012 and 2013, but there were six last year, the report said. The number of ''medical treatment injuries'' dropped by 50% during the financial year to 12.

Mr Plunket said the port had contacted the man's family and offered their support.

''An incident like this has a huge impact on staff and is very distressing for all concerned,'' he said.

''The interest of our staff members is our priority at the moment.

''We're quite distressed by the accident.''

Professional support services would be available for staff today, he said.

The container terminal was closed yesterday as a result of the incident and would reopen today at 7am.

The port's temporary closure was not expected to have a significant impact on shipping services or cargo operations, he said.

 

 

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