Chemical Solutions

  • Home
  • What We Do
    • Custom Formulations
    • Product Branding
    • Marketing
    • Sustainable Manufacturing
    • Storage and Distribution
    • Production and Packaging
    • Research & Development
  • Our Brands
    • Kemsol
    • Chemex
    • Allchem
    • Bio-Fresh Professional
    • Convoy
    • DaBomb
    • HotStuff
    • Naturemade
    • SweetLu
    • Virulabs
    • OilHero
  • Support
    • FAQ’s
    • Training Programmes
    • Safety & Awareness
    • Glossary of Hazards
    • Useful Links
  • About Us
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our History
    • Our People
    • Some of Our Brands
    • Some of Our Partners
    • Careers
  • News
  • Contact

November 8, 2018

Decanting Leaves A Worker With A Critical Eye Injury

As reported by WorkSafe, a company in Tauranga has been sentenced with a $219,375 fine, following an incident in January 2017 that left one of their workers with a life changing injury.

The incident happened while the worker was decanting a corrosive cleaning product and a piece of tubing flicked him in the eye. The impact of the tubing and the corrosiveness of the cleaning product caused so much damage that the worker’s eye unfortunately had to be removed completely. Due to significant scarring there is little chance that the victim could ever be fitted with a prosthetic eye.

 

There are many practices that the company could have followed to prevent incidents like these from happening, with the main ones being:

  • Identify the risks and put suitable controls in place.
  • Set up a safer system of work in which workers would not have to handle corrosive cleaning products themselves, for example having such products hardwired and plumbed for use.
  • Provide the workers with suitable personal protective equipment and monitor its use.

In cases where a substance does need to be moved from an original container to a workplace container, WorkSafe encourages to do so safely by:

  • reading the safety data sheet (SDS),
  • using the right personal protective equipment (PPE),
  • preparing for emergencies such as spills, and
  • making sure the container is suitable for the substance.

 

Sources:
https://worksafe.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-media/complacency-over-chemical-use-leaves-worker-without-an-eye/
and
https://worksafe.govt.nz/dmsdocument/2635-labelling-decanting-and-repackaging-hazardous-substances-in-the-workplace-quick-guide

Filed Under: News

Search

How can we help?

Recent News

  • Meet the team: Miji
  • pH Neutral Cleaners – The Perfect Balance Between Surface Protection and Powerful Cleaning 
  • Essential End-of-Summer Maintenance Tips for Professional Cleaners 
  • Listeria Control Guide for Food Processing 

Company Profile

We are a small, growing proudly NZ owned and operated company, making a wide variety of cleaning products, hygiene products, covering contract manufactured and contract packed products.

Click here to learn more about
Chemical Solutions Limited.

Call 0800 536 765

5 Reasons to choose us

  1. Fun and stress free to work with!
  2. Tons of experience with all sorts of  products and situations
  3. Team is upfront and honest
  4. We know all the technical stuff
  5. We do green too! (Click to find out more)

Search

Copyright © 2025 Chemical Solutions Ltd | Vision & Mission