Local Sawmill Accident.

[Ianab]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5589230/Man-critical-after-sawmill-accident

A 24-year-old male is in critical condition in Taranaki Base Hospital after his legs went through a portable sawmill.

The Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter was called to the scene on Ngariki Road near Rahotu in coastal Taranaki about 2.30pm where the man was found with serious leg injuries to both his upper thighs.

It is understood the man's right leg is almost-totally amputated and his left partially amputated.

The Opunake PRIME Doctor and  St John Intensive Care paramedic worked hard to stabilise the patient, who is now in hospital.

Opunake police officer Constable Nigel Dey was at the scene and told the Taranaki Daily News the man was a well-known contractor.

The Department of Labour is investigating the accident.

Don't have any more details than that, but something went badly wrong for any portable mill to try and take your legs off 

Ian

[zopi]

Yeah...there is more to that story....I bet he was doing something he should not have been.

[Brad_bb]

But what??

[Ianab]

Not much news...

Family isn't saying anything (understandable). Probably end up in court (OSH prosecution), so no one is saying anything.

Guy is listed as "Stable" in hospital, but don't know if they have been able to save his leg or not.

Ian

[Dan_Shade]

I would be interested in the circumstances of the accident

[woodzy88]

I use to own the same type of mill that was in the accident and the horizontal saw protrudes out the front. The man I purchashed it from said that the guy he brought it from cut his leg badly with it and I can see how it would be done. There is no clutch and even at an idle the blades are spinning . If the blade was at thigh hight and he walked around the front and got to close the blade would have him. I nearly did the same removing a slab. I sold mine an brought a Mahoe Supermill . It has a clutch and the horizontal blade is under the fuel/hydrualic tank. Plus it runs on a beam not on rails on the ground like my old mill so you cant walk into the blade. You would have to want to cut yourself to get near the blades . I feel for that guy and hope they put a saftey bar on those mills.

[Ianab]

Woodzy, do you know what the mill was?

Not much in the way of details have been published so I don't even know what sort of mill was involved.

Ian

[woodzy88]

I do know what the mill is but I dont know if I should say . I also live in Stratford Ian . I've just joined Foresrty forum ,only found out about it last week at the forestry expo in Rotorua . Seems like and interesting site. What type of mill do you have ? I am milling pine for a local mill mostly old crop 35 to 80 years . 

[Ianab]

I've got an old Peterson with the Chainsaw powerhead that I hack up some Mac and Lawson for my woodworking addiction.

I understand not wanting to say too much... I'm guessing it will all come out after the official investigation.

You should post some pics of what an 80 year old Pine log looks like in this part of the world  ;)

Ian

[woodzy88]

I've put some photos on, had a bit of trouble but got there eventualy. Hope I did it right and you can see them. I may be milling some native soon, if I can get the permit, so could keep an eye out for some turning pieces for you if you would like ? Doug.

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

Im sorry to hear of a young bloke injuring himself on any mill    :( I hope he makes a quick n full recovery !

I think I have it nutted out what mill he was on I take it it was a quater saw of some dicription and there is not too many of them  ;)

Gday and Welcome to the Forum Woodsy  ;) ;D 8) you picked a good mill with the Mahoe Super they are a bloody good mill you just have to find enough big logs to keep one feed  ;) but you boys have plenty of them in the pine overthere Mate  ;) :D ;D is most of your stuff stayin local or is it getting exported by the mill you work for Mate

Regards Chris

[Ernie]

It is a Rimu almost the same as mine with the exception that he has the luxury of hydraulic drive whereas I have to push mine  :(  They are made in Blenheim in the South Island of New Zealand.  From the picture in the paper, it looks as if he was part way through his first cut to open the log and I can't understand why he would have gone around to the front of the mill and walked into the blade, most of which would have been in the log.  From the pics, you can see that the horizontal blade leads the vertical by quite a margin.

[woodzy88]

Hi Chris,
Yes the Mahoe supermill is a fast accurate mill. The hardest part is keeping logs up to it . The timber is for local market and has been passing the stress grader. The only thing with these old trees they haven't been looked after and there is a lot of timber only suitable for firewood . Some logs cut out well maybe 50% timber but the majority would be 30% or less . We have an auto slab saw behind the mill and all waste is cut to firewood as soon as it leaves the saw,good wood to. We have cut several Logs 2m in diameter on this job, some producing good clears. The best timber is cut from the leaning trees with branches on one side and the pith offset from centre to the branch side of the log . These will cut good clears .

Cheers Doug     

[Meadows Miller]

Gday

I was thinking it might have been a Rimu as all the others that I know of Coltart,Forestmill,Mahoe and Mobile dimentions and the odd Mighty mite we have down our way  ;) are all direct drives either gearbox our with the Md they are belt driven  ;)

Doug I thought with the rough stuff that won't make grade you would just be cutting large china export cants or something like that instead off firewood  ;) whats pine firewood going for down your way m3 ? we could not  give it away over the ditch  :D :D Ive cut pleny off grade out of back side off break logs what can I say he should have been called terry tight butt if the logs where cheap he would have us cutting them nails knots n all  :D :D ;D

ahh for those off you here 2 meters is about 6'8" dia  ;) they grow them big n quick down in the land of the long white cloud  ;) ;)

Regards Chris

[woodzy88]

Hi
I haven't investagated big cants for export, didn't know there was that market. Do you have contacts?
We get $60 per thrown cube for our firewood , and most days we cut 15 cube or more so pays the costs and a bit.

I've been to Rotorua today to look at 60 year old oversized pruned pine butts , nice logs I was going to buy 200 ton or so but there is only 1 load left so the trip was a bit disappointing, anyway thems the breaks.   

cheers woodzy

[Ianab]

Court case wrapped up last week regarding this accident.

Turn out they were using jumper cable to start the mill (flat battery?) and when the guy reached up to disconnect the leads he was standing in front of the mill and got snagged by the horizontal blade.

$110,000 in fines and compensation for breaking OSH rules.

A Taranaki man is finding life tough after losing his leg in a sawmill accident last year.

Yesterday the company Hamish Payne, 24, worked for was ordered in the New Plymouth District Court to pay a total of $110,000 for its role in the accident.

Payne says he can no longer work or do the hobbies he once enjoyed.

Now living alone in a house in Rahotu owned by his brother, he has to get help with everyday tasks.

"Whatever I wish to do seems to be a mission," Payne said in his brief victim impact statement read out by the judge in court yesterday.

Payne's employer, Brian Crawford Contracting, pleaded guilty to one charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act in that they failed to take all practicable steps to ensure their labourer-driver was not exposed to the hazards of his portable sawmill.

The accident occurred on September 8 last year at the company's Ngariki Rd property when Mr Payne was jump-starting the sawmill with leads connected to the battery of a tractor.

His overalls were caught by a horizontal cutting blade and his legs were pulled into the blade.

Mr Payne's right leg was amputated by the exposed thigh-high blade and he required major reconstructive surgery on the upper thigh of his left leg.

Crawford was ordered to pay the young man – whom he told the court through his lawyer that he thought of as a son after knowing him since he was only four years old – a total of $60,000 in emotional harm reparation.

Crawford was also ordered to pay a fine of $50,000.

In sentencing, Judge Roberts said the impact on the victim would be life-long.

No amount of money would compensate the young man.

The judge rejected arguments from defence lawyer Paul White, Auckland, who said a heavy fine could put the company into liquidation.

Greg La Hood, of Wellington, for the Labour Department – now with the Business, Innovation and Employment Ministry – said the company's culpability was high. The remedial activity should have occurred earlier. The process to jump-start the portable saw was a significant departure from safe practice and fraught with danger.

The judge criticised Mr Crawford for failing to ask for an operating manual when he bought the portable sawmill.

"You only had to ask, `Does a guide exist and can I have one?'," the judge said.

Crawford was given credit for his co-operation and immediate remedial action, his genuine remorse, his unblemished safety record over 20 years as a contractor and his offer to make amends.

Crawford and his wife Jocelyn, the company's sole shareholders, declined to comment after sentencing.

Ona de Rooy, the ministry's central region head of workplace health and safety, said yesterday the accident occurred when the employee reached up to disconnect the jumper leads.

The accident could have been prevented if Brian Crawford Contracting had taken some simple steps to ensure the machine was set up safely, well maintained and that safe operating procedures were followed.

As such, it was a tragic example of a preventable injury in a workplace.

It happened because the employer put a temporary fix in place that required employees to put themselves in harm's way.

"It's not good enough,"

The lack of adequate safety procedures remains a significant cause of workplace death and injury.

A project, called the Safe Use of Machinery was now in its second year to help reduce the number and severity of machinery-related accidents, she said.

[Magicman]

When accidents happen, everyone looses, especially the injured person. 

Every aspect of our business includes danger.  Let's all make a special effort to be careful.