WorkSafe is recommending the dairy industry reassess its use of slide pulsators, following a recent death in a Waikato milking shed.
Jeff Bolstad died on 27 July in Morrinsville, when his clothing become entangled in the rotating bar of a slide pulsator. There is no indication the 69-year-old intentionally reached into any part of the machinery.
WorkSafe is in the early stages of investigating the circumstances, but already has enough information to urge caution.
"We are extremely concerned about the risk posed by exposed moving parts on slide pulsators, and urge farmers to check their set-up is safe or bring a specialist in for advice," says WorkSafe's investigation manager, Paul West.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, there is an obligation for businesses to manage their health and safety risks.
For farmers, this means to either ensure slide pulsators are safe, substitute them for an electronic pulsator, install safeguarding to prevent access to any moving parts, or remove them. PVC tubing used on some farms is unlikely to provide enough protection to eliminate the risk and meet the required guarding standards.
"The risk of clothing entanglement is real, and steps need to be taken to manage that risk. Any rotating shafts that can catch clothing or body parts need as much protective guarding as possible, or to be replaced," says WorkSafe's Paul West.
