Jun Jiang (right) poses for a photo with his wife, Jia Fan, and daughter. Photo: Supplied
A migrant worker has died after falling from a height while using a scissor lift at work in late December.
Jun Jiang, 37, had been put on life support by doctors after surgery following a fall at Auckland company SD Aluminium on 28 December.
His life support was switched off at 5pm on Tuesday, with Jiang passing away at Auckland City Hospital three hours later.
Jiang came to New Zealand from Jiangsu, China, on an accredited employer work visa in late 2022.
His wife, Jia Fan, later joined her husband on a partner visa with their 8-year-old daughter.
On 28 December, Fan received a telephone call from one of Jiang's co-workers, who told her that her husband had fallen from a scissor lift while moving aluminium extrusions at the company's Albany warehouse.
"I was so nervous that I was shaking. I couldn't even talk," Fan said. "I asked if he was okay, and I was told that it was serious as he hit the ground with his head. I felt as though the sky had collapsed on me."
Jun Jiang was placed on life support in Auckland City Hospital after a fall at work. Photo: Supplied
A St John spokesperson confirmed the medical service had assessed a patient at the scene, transporting the individual to Auckland City Hospital in a critical condition.
A WorkSafe spokesperson said the department was investigating the incident.
WorkSafe was in contact with SD Aluminium and had issued a non-disturbance notice to preserve the scene as part of its ongoing enquiries, the spokesperson said.
"Falls from height are a well-known risk in manufacturing, which is a priority sector in WorkSafe's new strategy," the spokesperson said.
"The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 required businesses and organisations to manage their health and safety risks," the spokesperson said.
"When it comes to working at height, this means using machinery appropriate for the task, training workers and carrying out proper risk assessment - all of which are under scrutiny in this case."
Jia Fan and Jun Jiang celebrate Christmas in December 2024. Photo: Supplied
A spokesperson from SD Aluminium told RNZ the matter was being investigated, and, as such, it would not be appropriate for the company to respond to questions at this time.
"In the meantime, we are providing support to our employee and his family," the spokesperson said.
A former director of United Union, Mike Treen, described the incident as a tragedy that "could have been avoided".
"New Zealand has overall twice the rate of ... workplace accidents that Australia does," Treen said. "It is much higher than other countries in the world and other sort of advanced countries in the world.
"People falling from heights is one of the principal means ... of deaths [in the workplace] that occur each year. ... It just shouldn't happen."
Twelve workers in New Zealand died after falling from a height in the year to June 2023, according to Worksafe data.
Death caused by falling from a height is the second most common workplace accident involving a fatality following vehicle incidents in New Zealand.
