Milkboy dies—call for better safety

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 2

Milkboy dies—call for better safety

PA Wellington One of two milkboys seriously injured in separate road accidents last week died in Wellington Hospital early on Saturday morning. Lee Walker, aged 11, was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit on Thursday evening with severe head, chest, arid leg injuries, after he was hit by a van while on his rounds in Upper Hutt. . i

Hamish Woodman, aged 15, of Tawa; who was hit by a car while working on his father’s round in Linden on Wednesday evening, is still seriously - ill with . head injuries. '

The Accident Compensation Corporation said that 82 milkboys were injured seriously enough to warrant compensation claims last year.

The latest accidents have prompted calls from milk vendors and a Wellington neurosurgeon for better protection for children working .on milk rounds.

The neurosurgeon, Mr Rus-, sell Worth, said that all employers should provide reflectorised jackets for their assistants. Milk carts and trolleys should also carry reflectors. He was concerned about the legal aspects of children Working after dark.

“Recommendations laid down by the Department of Trade and Industry set out that milkboys cannot be employed under the age of 11, and they must .be off the road by 7.30 p.tn., but these recommendations are guide-lines-only, and not enforceable." he said. The National Union of Milk Vendors and the New Zealand Milk Vendors’ Federation want greater emphasis on reflectorised clothing and tighter legislation. Mr John Seggie, the national secretary of the N.U.M.V., said that the Milk Board could expand requirements under the Milk Act to include safety. Fourteen

years should be the minimum age for a milk run assistant, he said.

“The -job is hazardous ... kids are continually crossing roads. A child younger than 14 does not have the road sense and concentration to do the job,” he said.

Mr Seggie said that vendors were concerned about the safety of their assistants, but the nature of the work meant that it was difficult to constantly supervise them. Many vendors provided safety clothing, but children were often reluctant to wear it.

Mr Peter Julius, the secretary of the Wellington provincial branch of the M.V.F., said that there were no legal requirements for vendors, but there was a code of practice.

He believed that something more. substantial was needed, and would raise the issue at the national executive meeting on June 14.