WorkSafe New Zealand | Forestry roads nationwide are set to become safer, thanks to a new agreement between WorkSafe New Zealand and one of the country’s largest forest management companies.
Forest360 Limited has agreed to fund a range of actions in response to a death on one of its sites. Greg Stevens, 59, was killed when his logging truck and trailer rolled while negotiating a tight bend on a Coromandel forestry road in May 2023.
WorkSafe’s investigation found the design, maintenance, and risk assessment of the road by Forest360 was inadequate.
The company’s funded response forms a binding commitment, known as an enforceable undertaking (EU), which WorkSafe has accepted. It includes:
- Funding research to develop a method to assess forestry road safety.
- Sponsoring software development to help forest owners and operators identify unsafe road conditions.
- Promoting the software and sharing insights with the forestry sector, including at conferences and through the Forest Industry Safety Council.
- Forest360 will donate to education programmes through Discover Forestry, and to Wāhine in Forestry.
- Amends paid to Greg Stevens’ widow.
Forestry is a priority for WorkSafe as it had the highest fatality rate of any sector in 2024. Its role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities to keep people healthy and safe.
This is the first time WorkSafe has accepted such a commitment from the forestry sector. EUs are a way for WorkSafe to hold businesses accountable for health and safety breaches. WorkSafe monitors progress on the agreed commitments and can seek a court order if they are not upheld.
Two other businesses remain before the court in relation to the death of Gregory Albert Stevens.
