The family of an Irishman, electrocuted while working on a North Island farm just months after he’d arrived in New Zealand, were “particularly pained that if simple steps had been taken… the tragedy could have been averted”.
Sean Clear, originally from Ballacolla, County Laois, was killed days before his 25th birthday in Februray 2023.
His family’s comments were revealed in Coroner Mark Wilton’s findings into the death on Thursday. They were made at the sentencing of Coogan’s Contracting in December, when the company was fined after admitting charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
While the company had a written hazard policy, there was no evidence the policy had been communicated to employees, with Coroner Wilton now recommending it update its hazard and risk policies.
