Repeat offender fined $100,000 after worker loses fingers in mixer
23 Oct 2024•BlueSafe Team•Source: WorkSafe VIC
Makmur Enterprises Pty Ltd has been fined $100,000 after a worker’s fingers were amputated while he was cleaning a ribbon mixer. The company had previously been prosecuted four times over injuries involving inadequately guarded plant.
The Melbourne Magistrates’ Court sentenced the company on Wednesday 16 October after it pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to provide a safe working environment. It was also ordered to pay $21,739 in costs.
The worker was cleaning the large ribbon mixer in August 2021 when he opened an interlocked gate to access its discharge area. He did not realise the interlock had failed and the mixer was still running.
When he reached inside to clear debris, his middle and index fingers came into contact with blades in the mixing chamber and were amputated. He was taken to hospital, where surgeons reattached his fingers.
WorkSafe’s investigation found that water contact with electrical components had caused the interlock sensor to become faulty. A separate independent risk assessment found the discharge-area interlock gate did not meet the required Australian Standard. A compliant interlock would have prevented access to the danger area even if the sensor failed.
It was reasonably practicable for Makmur Enterprises to provide interlock guarding that met Australian Standards and prevented the mixer from operating while a worker accessed the discharge area. The court heard that the company’s four previous prosecutions since 2013 had resulted in more than $264,000 in fines and costs.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said repeated failures to protect workers from known health and safety risks would attract significant penalties. “This shocking incident has had a significant impact on the injured worker, and no doubt also greatly affected the fellow workers who came to his aid,” Mr Jenkin said.
“At the very least, this company's poor safety record should make it aware of the risks and potential consequences to workers when guarding is inadequate, so the fact that Makmur has continually failed to provide a safe workplace is incredibly disappointing.”
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