Noodle restaurant fined $40,000 after worker injured in dough mixer

MMPX Pty Ltd, trading as Bowltiful, pleaded guilty to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Friday 13 September.

The court imposed fines without conviction of $25,000 for failing to provide or maintain safe plant and $15,000 for failing to comply with a prohibition notice. The company was also ordered to pay $5,671 in costs.

In May 2023, a 31-year-old worker was mixing ingredients when a blade struck his hand and pulled it into the machine. The incident caused a degloving injury to his right hand.

WorkSafe inspectors found the mixer had no interlock guard. This meant it could operate with the lid open, leaving workers exposed to its rotating paddles.

Inspectors issued a notice prohibiting use of the mixer until the risk had been addressed. When they returned about a month later, the machine was still in use.

It was reasonably practicable for the company to install an interlocked physical guard that allowed access to the danger area only when there was no risk and prevented access at other times.

WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said the incident showed why proper safety measures were critical on machinery and equipment. "The lack of basic safeguards on this cooking equipment directly led to a preventable injury that could have been much worse for this worker," Mr Jenkin said.

"There is no excuse for businesses who fail to keep their workers safe, particularly when they are already well aware of the risks from particular machinery and equipment in their workplace."

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