$20k fine for traffic light system failures
WorkSafe has issued $20,000 of infringement notices to a Christchurch restaurant for failing to comply with Covid-19 requirements.
It said The Lotus-Heart, a vegetarian restaurant, had failed to display signage in a prominent place signalling whether it requires My Vaccine Pass use or not.
The restaurant also wasn’t displaying a QR Code in a prominent place, and didn’t have systems or processes to check My Vaccine Pass status of patrons, WorkSafe said.
The restaurant had 28 days to pay three infringement fees totalling $20,000.
It is the second Covid19-related financial penalty – and the first restaurant – handed out by WorkSafe since the country moved to the traffic light system.
Auckland martial arts gym Oliver MMA was slapped with a $12,000 fine earlier this month for failing to comply with the Covid19 Protection Framework.
Simon Humphries, WorkSafe’s head of general inspectorate, said WorkSafe had been looking into the restaurant since September, and the infringement notices were the result of an unwillingness of the business to engage with WorkSafe or change their practices.
‘‘Despite the business refusing to communicate with us, our inspector has gathered enough information to determine the business isn’t meeting even the bare minimum of what it’s supposed to do,’’ Humphries said.
Because the business was continuing to operate as a dine-in restaurant, workers were required to be vaccinated, he said.
The vaccination status of staff had not been determined but if the business was found to be non-compliant in this area a separate infringement notice could be issued, he said.
‘‘I know the hospitality industry has been needing time to consider what the new rules mean for them and I want to reassure them we’re not jumping straight to infringement notices,’’ Humphries said.
‘‘It takes a sustained period of observed non-compliance for us to escalate, which is what’s happened with The Lotus-Heart.’’
If a business failed to pay infringement fees, it could be referred to the courts for further action, WorkSafe said.
The Lotus-Heart owner Bhuvah Thurston could not be reached yesterday.