Company fined $40K for double digit amputation

A West Australian salad processor has been fined $40,000, plus $12,000 costs, after one of its employees had two fingers amputated when opening a belt slicer. Harvest Freshcuts, a business that produces ready-made salads for supply to supermarkets, was found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace in the Perth Magistrates Court in late October.

The employee sustained the injury when he opened the cutting chamber to clear some vegetable matter from it. He hit the emergency stop button and put his hand into the chamber.

Due to an electrical relay fault, neither the emergency stop button nor the interlock device that would normally stop the blades were working. The blades were still spinning when the man put his hand into the chamber. Two of his fingers were amputated to the middle knuckle.

After the incident, Harvest Freshcuts took action to ensure a similar incident will not occur again, including fitting the guard with a time-delay interlock and instructing employees to switch off and unplug the machine from the wall before opening the guard.

WorkSafe Acting Executive Director Ian Munns said the case illustrates how important it is to have lock-out and tagging procedures in place at workplaces that contain machinery.

“It’s never safe to leave any piece of machinery operational while doing repairs or performing maintenance, and this case illustrates that effective lockout and tagging procedures are vitally important in any workplace where machinery is used,” Munns said.

While the employer did take steps to the machine to ensure safety, Munns said these changes could have been implemented earlier.

“Unfortunately, the changes were made too late for the injured worker, who sustained a permanent injury. And for the sake of modifications that would have been relatively low cost, the employer will now be $52,000 poorer,” said Munns.

“This case is a reminder to any employer in a workplace containing hazardous machinery that it is crucial that safe work procedures be in place, especially when employees are adjusting, cleaning or maintaining machinery,” Munns concluded.