Regulation · 9 November 2026
A new labourer, a clear roofing panel and a seven-metre fall
A Hauraki roofing business has been sentenced after a labourer in his 90-day trial fell through a clear roofing panel before his height training had started. The lesson for builders is to protect new starters before they're trained, not after.
WorkSafe has reported the sentencing of Professional Trade Services NZ Limited, a Hauraki roofing and maintenance business, in the Waihi District Court.
A labourer still in his 90-day trial period fell about 7.1 metres through a clear light roofing panel and fractured multiple vertebrae. WorkSafe found the company had not adequately assessed the risks of the roof work and had not made sure its workers were trained and competent. The company admitted the labourer's training had been put off until after his trial period, even though he was already working at height.
The company was convicted and ordered to pay $15,000 in emotional harm reparation plus costs. It was not fined because it is in liquidation.
WorkSafe Regional Manager Nigel Formosa said: "Clear roofing is not designed to support a person's weight and should always be treated as a fall hazard."
What stands out to us is the new starter. On most sites, the person least able to read a hazard is the one who turned up last week. He doesn't yet know which sheet is clear, which edge is open, or which shortcut the crew stopped taking months ago. Training matters, but courses take time to book, and a fall doesn't wait for the course date.
That's why we look at it through the hierarchy of controls. Taking away the chance to fall, or stopping a person reaching the hazard, sits above anything that relies on someone knowing where not to step. Training and supervision still matter. They just shouldn't be the only thing between a first-week labourer and the ground. Our thinking is on the Why it works page, and the regulatory material is on Working at height.
The takeaway: before a new worker goes up, walk them round. Point out every clear sheet, void and open edge, and make sure each one is covered, guarded or fenced off before they start, not once they've been trained.
Source: WorkSafe New Zealand, "Roofing business sentenced after worker suffers serious injuries in seven-metre fall" (12 October 2026), https://www.worksafe.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-media/roofing-business-sentenced-after-worker-suffers-serious-injuries-in-seven-metre-fall
Written by
Dave Simmons
Director, Workdek
Tell us about your build.
Send us your plans and some details of the build, and one of the team will come back to you with a quote.