08:46 pm, Friday 30 April, 2010

A golf club in Leichhardt has been fined $44,000 by the Ipswich Industrial Magistrates Court after a part of a worker’s right foot was severed while cutting grass.

The Club pleaded guilty on February 8 to failing to ensure workplace safety under section 24 (1) of the Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.

Industrial Magistrate Matthew McLaughlin imposed a $44,000 fine. He also ordered the club to pay $1095.18 investigation costs and $71 court costs.

The Court was told the worker was driving a ride-on mower on the Leichhardt grounds on 30 January 2009.

He was retrieving gold balls from the fairway when his right foot touched the mower blades.

Three of the his toes and part of his foot were amputated due to the incident.

The Workplace Health and Safety Queensland investigation reveals that the club had not set up a OHS system for identifying and tracking faulty plant, nor had a risk assessment of the job been conducted. The club also failed to provide the worker any formal safety training.

The investigation also reveals that the mower had a defective solenoid (which cuts off power when the driver leaves the seat) and had no chute guard.

Report by Julia Alder - Do you have an OHS News Story - Let us know