NSW Meat Processor Fined $375k After Serious Grain Mill Injury

Woodward Foods Australia Pty Ltd has been convicted and fined $375,000 in the Industrial Court of NSW following a prosecution brought by SafeWork NSW over a serious workplace incident involving a grain mill.

The case relates to an incident on 21 January 2023, in which a worker sustained significant injuries while using a grain mill to prepare cattle feed. The event underscored the risks associated with working with fixed machinery and the need for effective risk controls and documented safe work procedures.

Woodward Foods Australia pleaded guilty to an offence under section 32 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, for failing to ensure, so far as was reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers as required by section 19(1) of the Act.

In addition to the monetary penalty, the Court imposed an adverse publicity order on the company. The judgment has been published on the NSW Caselaw website, providing further detail on the Court's findings and the factors considered in sentencing. Woodward Foods Australia retains the right to appeal the sentence.

SafeWork NSW has reiterated that risk control measures for moving plant and fixed machinery are well established, and that injuries involving such equipment are largely preventable when appropriate controls are implemented. This includes thorough risk assessments, the use of guarding, lock-out and isolation procedures, and clearly documented safe systems of work, such as Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) for high-risk activities.

Preventing injuries associated with mobile plant, vehicles and fixed machinery remains a key focus in SafeWork NSW's regulatory priorities. Employers are encouraged to review their WHS management systems, policies and procedures to ensure they adequately address the hazards of operating plant and machinery. Resources and templates to support businesses in strengthening their WHS documentation, including SWMS and management systems, are available from specialist providers such as Bluesafe SWMS and WHS management systems.

Workers who have concerns about health and safety in their workplace can contact SafeWork NSW anonymously on 13 10 50 or via the Speak Up Save Lives website. Business owners and workers are also encouraged to access the range of guidance materials offered by SafeWork NSW to help manage the risks of working with plant, machinery and equipment.

SafeWork NSW has emphasised that awareness of hazards, comprehensive risk assessment, and the implementation of safe systems of work are essential to reducing the frequency and severity of incidents involving fixed machinery across all industries in New South Wales.