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Charges laid over Lion keeper's death - Labour Dept

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Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:14p.m.

Charges will be laid over the death of a worker at Zion Wildlife Gardens, the Labour Department says

Charges will be laid over the death of a worker at Zion Wildlife Gardens, the Labour Department says

Charges have been laid over the death of lion keeper Dalu Mncube at Zion Wildlife Gardens in Whangarei last year, the Department of Labour says.

Mr Mncube, 26, was mauled to death by a 260kg white tiger in May as he and another keeper cleaned the animal's enclosure.

Representatives of Zion Wildlife Gardens would appear in Whangarei District Court tomorrow to face four charges, The Northern Advocate reported.

It was understood all charges were laid against Zion Wildlife Gardens as an entity and no individuals were charged.

Two charges were laid under Section 6 of the Health and Safety in Employment Act for "failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of employees while at work".

The other charges were laid under Section 16 of the Act for "failing to take all practicable steps to ensure no hazard that is, or arises in, the place of work harms people who are lawfully at work as employees of a contractor".

The wildlife park on the outskirts of Whangarei gained fame through the Lion Man television series.

NZPA

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Comments

19 Jan 2010 12:50p.m.

cynical wrote:

Here we go again - another easy target for OSH - as if nobody knew that looking after big cats is dangerous. And what about the parole Board, OSH, releasing dangerous criminals? What have you done about that? After all, they have often enough failed to take all practicable steps...
Too much has OSH become part of the gravy train for lawyers, rather than in an advisory/educationary role, coming from a viewpoint that people want to do well, do not want to get injured or killed and to live together harmoniously and with a common goal. If one instruction sheet is missing, it is enough for OSH to throw the book, rather than consider that indivuduals also have a responsibility. Absolving this responsibility can in fact lead to the very things OSH is supposed to educate to avoid.