New Zealand’s largest manufacturer and exporter of pine products is now using AI to detect hazards in real time and is offering the tech for other manufacturers to trial in their businesses. It comes after Claymark, which in 2023 had a worker amputate two fingers at its Rotorua factory, entered into a new NZ$ $481,000 agreement with Worksafe New Zealand.
WorkSafe’s investigation of the February 2023 incident found that the machine was unguarded, the maintenance system was ineffective, and worker training and supervision also fell short.
WorkSafe has now accepted an enforceable undertaking (EU) from Claymark. An EU is a binding commitment to fund and resource comprehensive health and safety improvements. Claymark’s EU includes:
- CCTV systems incorporate AI technology to indicate risks to workers’ health and safety in real-time.
- Offering up to 15 trials of the technology to other businesses in the wood manufacturing sector.
- Microlearning and interactive displays in break rooms to upskill workers on health and safety.
- Reparation to the victim.
“We are sharing details of the investment to coincide with World Day for Health and Safety at Work, which this year focuses on the impacts of digitalisation and artificial intelligence on workers’ health and safety,” according to a statement from Claymark. Tracey Conlon, WorkSafe’s Head of Regulatory Services, said AI has tremendous power to benefit timber processing more broadly.
“The initiatives align with WorkSafe’s priority plan for manufacturing, one of the highest-risk sectors for workers in Aotearoa. Unsafe machinery is a persistent problem in the sector, which businesses cannot overlook.”
- To learn more about the role that AI is now playing in disrupting forestry and timber production, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
