AI game-changer for timber manufacturing

AI game-changer for timber manufacturing

Friday 2 May 2025

AI-driven hazard detection is coming to timber manufacturing, thanks to a new agreement worth nearly half a million dollars between WorkSafe New Zealand and a major player in the wood processing industry.

Claymark, New Zealand’s largest manufacturer and exporter of premium pine products, is putting $481,000 into a range of initiatives. It comes after a worker had two fingers amputated in a machine at Claymark’s Rotorua factory in February 2023.

WorkSafe’s investigation found the machine was unguarded and there was an ineffective system for maintenance. Training and supervision of workers 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 incorporating 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.

“We are looking forward to seeing Claymark pioneer its AI innovation to benefit the timber processing sector more broadly. Agreements like this are all about enacting positive improvements from an adverse event,” says WorkSafe’s Head of Regulatory Services, Tracey Conlon.

“The initiatives align with WorkSafe’s priority plan for manufacturing, which is one of the most high-risk sectors for workers in Aotearoa. Unsafe machinery is a persistent problem in the sector, which businesses cannot overlook.”

EUs are a way for WorkSafe to hold businesses accountable for health and safety breaches. WorkSafe monitors progress on the agreed commitments and can seek a court order enforcing them if they are not upheld. WorkSafe’s role is to influence businesses to meet their responsibilities and keep people healthy and safe.

"At Claymark, the health, safety, and wellbeing of our people is our highest priority," said Claymark’s executive director Paul Pedersen. "An incident involving one of our team members has had a significant impact – both physically and emotionally. We acknowledge the effect this has had on the individual, their whānau, and our wider community, and we are committed to learning from this experience to ensure safer outcomes for everyone," he said.

Through our enforceable undertaking, we see a valuable opportunity to drive meaningful, people-focused change - both within Claymark and across the wood manufacturing sector.

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Source: WorkSafe NZ
Image credit: Claymark NZ

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