A Dunedin robotics and automation company has been charged by WorkSafe following the death of a worker in a workplace accident last year.
Scott Technology faces a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 after the death of 32-year-old worker Michael Sherry in April 2025.
According to a report by Stuff, a WorkSafe spokesperson confirmed the health and safety regulator had laid the charge against the company, alleging it failed in its duty to protect workers from serious harm.
Sherry, a father of two, was carrying out pre-commissioning work on a variable independent path shoulder puller machine, known as the 365-Seafield machine, when the fatal incident occurred, Stuff has quoted.
According to the charge, Scott Technology had a responsibility to ensure, “so far as is reasonably practicable”, the health and safety of its workers. WorkSafe alleged the company failed to “comply with that duty, and that failure exposed workers to a risk of death or serious injury,” as quoted by Stuff.
The company could face a maximum fine of up to $1.5 million if convicted.
Scott Technology, which designs and manufactures advanced automation systems, acknowledged the charge in a statement to the NZX.
“The company is fully cooperating with WorkSafe and remains committed to the safety and wellbeing of its people,” it said, Stuff has quoted.
“With the WorkSafe process underway and out of respect for the family the company will not comment further on the details at this time.”
Sherry’s death notice, written by his wife and two young children aged three years and five months, described him as “the irreplaceable love of our lives,” Stuff reported..
A Givealittle page created to support the family raised more than $40,000 following his death. The fundraiser described Sherry, who was known to many simply by his surname, as a devoted husband and father who had moved from Australia and “built a beautiful life with his family in Dunedin,” as quoted by Stuff.
“A true lover of music and a friend to all who met him, Sherry’s warmth, laughter, and kindness touched countless lives. His sudden passing leaves an enormous hole in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved him,” Stuff has quoted.