WorkSafe Charge against MSD
02 March 2015.
To be attributed to Brendan Boyle, Chief Executive, Ministry of Social Development.
I have been advised that WorkSafe has lodged a charge today in the Wellington District Court against the Ministry of Social Development, under Section 6 of the Health and Safety Act.
Once we know the full details of the charge, we will fully consider our position.
No further comment will be made as the matter is before the courts.
ENDS
Editor’s note:
Following the tragic shootings at the Ministry’s Ashburton office in September 2014, the Ministry commissioned an independent security review into the Ministry’s physical security environment.
This review was led by former Police Commissioner Rob Robinson and Murray Jack of Deloitte New Zealand.
It was tasked with addressing the following question:
"Given the Ministry’s functions and activities and the risks associated with those, were all practicable steps taken to ensure the safety of Ministry employees in relation to the shooting at the Ashburton office."
The lead reviewers concluded that the Ministry took all practicable steps to seek to ensure the safety of its employees.
