Manufacturer sentenced after worker’s head crushed in machine
14 Dec 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
Class Plastics (Aust) Pty Ltd has been sentenced after a supervisor suffered serious head injuries in a blow moulding machine at its Truganina factory. The machine’s interlock system had been disconnected and its sensors covered with tape.
The company pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to maintain plant that was safe and without risks to health. The Sunshine Magistrates’ Court sentenced it without conviction on Wednesday 4 December and ordered it to pay $4,000 in costs.
The incident occurred in April 2022, when the supervisor was asked to help resolve a problem with a plastic blow moulding machine. While attempting an adjustment, his head became trapped between a moving bar and the machine’s frame.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a fractured skull and intracranial bleeding, requiring immediate surgery.
The court heard that the machine’s interlock system should have prevented it from operating with its access doors open. However, the system was disconnected and tape covered the sensors intended to activate it.
Class Plastics admitted that regular inspection and maintenance of the interlock system, along with checks that sensors and other safety devices had not been compromised, were reasonably practicable ways to reduce the risk of death or serious injury.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said seven Victorian workers had died in incidents involving plant since the start of the year. “Critical safety features such as interlock devices and sensors should never be disabled and employers must regularly inspect their machinery to ensure they're operating correctly.”
How Blue Safe can help: Our free WHS self-check can help you review your business’s approach to workplace health and safety and identify areas that may need attention. Take the free WHS self-check