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Gloriavale workers have lost fingers, falls, chemical burns, and been overcome by toxic gases in a series of incidents since 2016.
However, the government’s workplace safety watchdog ruled that the incidents did not meet the “minimum threshold for a formal investigation.”
It comes after reports that some members of the West Coast Christian community were forced to work more than 20 hours a day, a claim that WorkSafe did examine in September, but found no supporting evidence after speaking with 13 workers. .
Things received a list of all notifications regarding Gloriavale from WorkSafe, including a seriously injured worker on October 25, 2018, but the investigation was closed the same day after inspectors were informed that the person was not working at the time of the incident.
READ MORE:
* Those leaving Gloriavale launch a petition and protest to get a government investigation
* The second senior member leaves the Gloriavale secret sect due to management concerns
* Gloriavale told WorkSafe to improve work-related health risks
* The Labor Inspectorate should not take any action against Gloriavale as the workers are considered volunteers
A hive worker lost the tip of his finger in January 2019 and, in October 2019, a worker cleaning a drain in a dairy cow barn was overwhelmed by chemicals and was admitted to hospital.
In July this year, a worker cleaning a silo with acid suffered chemical burns. A worker was also seriously injured after a possible fall from a height and another worker nearly lost an eye.
TVNZ
The Gloriavale Christian Church Community Trust earns $ 3 million a year from various businesses, including a large dairy and deer farm, fishmeal production, honey and protein manufacturing from offal for export.
A report to WorkSafe by an insider, released under the Official Information Act, said that people were forced and threatened to work for months at night in preparation for the biennial community concerts it offers to the public.
“People have been so tired that they have lost their fingers at work. Many accidents have been caused over the years by forced labor ”.
A WorkSafe spokeswoman said the incidents did not meet the minimum threshold for a formal investigation, but the community was singled out for the September visit due to “recurring concerns and notifications.”
Issued two improvement notices, a directive letter, and a verbal instruction covering risk assessment, forklifts, and work-related health risks.
WorkSafe will continue to proactively monitor workplaces in Gloriavale to ensure it is meeting its health and safety obligations, the spokeswoman said.
According to documents received by Things Inspectors who visited in September found unattended machinery.
Visited again five days later, looked at all workplaces, lists, and break times, and found no actionable issues.
The Gloriavale Christian Church Community Trust earns $ 3 million a year from various businesses, including a large dairy and deer farm, fishmeal production, honey and protein manufacturing from offal for export.
The trust has assets of more than $ 41 million, but it does not pay its workers and is not subject to labor law because they are volunteers. However, the trust still has a duty to care for volunteers under the Health, Safety and Labor Law.
Gloriavale Leavers’ Support Trust manager Liz Gregory said that many of the 180 people who had left the community had raised concerns about the unsafe work environment, including serious injuries amid lax health and safety protocols from leaders.
He said those who left had told him about a culture that made it impossible to speak to visiting inspectors or report incidents themselves. Some had told him they had asked for better equipment and were denied.
The worker who was overwhelmed by the fumes was a teenager who was hospitalized and suffered from continuous seizures, he said.
Dundas Street labor attorney David Traylor said that, as volunteers, Gloriavale workers were not subject to the Labor Relations Act, but were still protected by the Occupational Safety and Health Act “to the extent of the possible”.
