Goldstein's Pty Ltd

Incident description:

A worker sustained a fractured right arm when he was drawn into the spiral mixing arm of an inadequately guarded dough mixer.

Investigation findings:

The investigation found that while there was a guard on the machine it had been adjusted which created an access to a draw-in zone. The risk posed to workers was also exacerbated by an unsafe cleaning/maintenance practice, whereby the worker cleaned the inside of the bowl whilst the plant was still operating.

Considerations for prevention:

Adjustments made to guarding on plant requires undertaking a risk assessment to assess if a risk of entrapment exists after the modifications have been made. In addition, a safe system of work documenting how cleaning of the machine can be undertaken safely needs to be made available to staff performing this task.

Court result:

The defendant pleaded guilty and was fined $30,000. The court took into account the defendant’s previous good record, the steps it took to ensure such an incident would not reoccur and the fact it was otherwise a good corporate citizen in ordering no conviction be recorded.

Visit the Workplace Health and Safety website for more information on:

• obligations which apply when modifying plant
• safeguarding machinery and plant (PDF, 736kB)
• how to conduct risk assessments (PDF, 143kB) or develop safe operating procedures (PDF, 321kB)