‘Too Many Chances Taken In N.Z.’

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32382, 22 August 1970, Page 44

‘Too Many Chances Taken In N.Z.’

(N.Z. Press Association/ WELLINGTON, August 21. The number of people injured in industrial accidents in New Zealand was about three times higher than it should be, a world authority on accident prevention, Mr A. Lateiner, said today. Mr Lateiner, who lives in New York, is in New Zealand at the invitation of the National Safety Association of New Zealand. He is a consultant to the association.

For the last few days he has been talking to management people in Auckland about safety. New Zealanders were very daring and willing to take chances, he said. He had noticed on the Auckland Southern Motorway that drivers sped and did not slow down for fog.

New Zealanders were also aggressive fighters in war, good skiers, and rode motorcycles cross-country. However, on the road or at work they should not take chances. The law of averages must operate and this must result in accidents. Smaller companies had worse accident records than larger companies. This was because the larger companies knew more about accident prevention and used the services of safety officers. The hidden cost of any accident was four times greater than the direct insured cost. The bidden cost involved delay, damage to equipment, people getting upset, paperwork, and loss of skill, and was an Important factor in New Zealand, where there was a shortage of skilled labour.