09:27 am, Thursday 1 April, 2010

The Armadale Magistrates Court has fined a commercial food manufacturer, its director/manager and production manager on March 18 after a worker lost two fingers in a cheese grinder.

The parties pleaded guilty to charges under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The company was charged with failing to provide a safe working environment, causing serious harm to an employee and fined $20,000. The director was charged with neglect and fined $1,500. The production manager was charged with failing to take reasonable care, causing serious harm to another person and fined $1,500.

On 29 May 2006, the worker was mincing blocks of cheese at the firm’s Canning Vale worksite.

The employee turned the machine on and reached down to push the cheese into the auger. As he did so, his left hand touched the auger. His index and middle fingers were cut off as a result.

The court heard the director could observe the employee with his hand in the hopper.

The production manager was in charge of day-to-day food processing operations and supervised the staff. According to WorkSafe, he had seen staff pushing food into the auger while the grinder was operating, and had done so himself.

The manager also knew the grinder’s interlock mechanism, was not functioning at the time of the incident.

The food company installed an interlocking guard after the incident to prevent workers from reaching into the hopper while the grinder is turned on.

According to WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne, the case serves as a reminder of the need to guard the machinery’s moving parts.

“The employee’s serious injuries would have been avoided if the company had taken steps to install effective guarding,” she said.

“Guarding of moving parts of machinery is vital, and is still one of the easiest and most obvious means of minimising the risk of injury to machinery operators. I strongly urge employers in workplaces with machinery to ensure that it is safe to operate.”

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05:36 pm, Wednesday 10 March, 2010

For failing to install a $5,000 guard for meat shredder, a company and its director have been fined $75,000 when a worker’s hand was caught in the machine.

The Broadmeadows Magistrates’ Court convicted and fined D R & J Fabbris Pty Ltd (trading as Fabbris Smallgoods) yesterday over a 2008 incident at the company’s Campbellfield factory.

Magistrate Ann Collins convicted and fined $50,000 the meat manufacturing company for failing to provide safe plant and failing to provide training, information and instruction to employees.

The worker was trained on the factory’s larger shredder, which had an interlocking guard. However, the worker was required to work on a smaller shredder, which was unguarded, when the accident took place.

The shredder became blocked with meat when the employee tried to get the meat off by pushing it with his hand, without turning the machine off. As a result, the shredder’s blades caught his hand.

The accident cost the middle three fingers of the worker, which were removed to the knuckle. He also suffered damaged nerves, constant pain, and restricted movement of his thumb.

WorkSafe Victoria’s Acting Health and Safety Director Stan Krpan said amputations were a major source of serious workplace injuries – with many reported in the manufacturing industry each year.

Fabbris Smallgoods’s director, Dino Fabbris, was separately convicted and fined $25,000 for failing to have the shredder guarded – despite working on the factory floor daily and taking managerial responsibility for the company’s two factories.

Mr Krpan said company directors have a responsibility over their workers’ health and safety.

“In this case, we have a director who was aware that the unguarded shredder was a hazard, and did nothing about it. This has resulted in prosecution for the company, and the loss of livelihood for a worker,” he said.

“This is a reminder to directors – especially those assuming a hands-on role in their company – that it’s their responsibility to step up to the mark and make decisions on health and safety for their company.”

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