November 08, 2012
Sealord fined for deck accident
Māori-owned fishing company Sealord has been fined $63,400 and ordered to pay reparations of $12,500 to a fisherman who fell through a hatch.
Factory hand James Billingham ruptured his spleen a year ago when he fell five metres into a hold on the Sealord vessel Ocean Dawn.
Mr Billingham overbalanced while trying to remove bungs under the hatch cover, but the district court said the company failed to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees on board.
Sealord is a joint venture between pan-Māoricompany Aotearoa Fisheries and Japan's Nissui.
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