A Knoxfield-based business was sentenced without conviction in Ringwood Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 18 October, after earlier pleading guilty to one charge of failing to provide or maintain systems of work that were safe and without risk to health.
High-Fire Heating Pty Ltd was fined $30,000 and ordered to pay costs of $2,509 after a worker’s hand was crushed in a power press machine in 2019, resulting in him needing five operations and suffering from numbness and loss of function.
In September 2019, a worker was attempting to free a jam inside a press without having switched the machine off, when he accidentally pressed the foot pedal while reaching into the stamping bed which activated the machine, the court heard.
A WorkSafe investigation found that the company had fitted a guard onto the machine around two years before the incident, but due to the frequency of jams, it was held open by a hook.
Worksafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Narelle Beer said the dangers of unguarded machinery were well known and injuries are often life-changing or fatal.
“No worker should have to go through something so horrific because an employer has failed to address serious safety risks,” Dr Beer said.
“Failing to guard machinery is inexcusable. Guidance in relation to properly guarding press machines is widely available and WorkSafe won’t hesitate to prosecute employers who ignore it.”
The court heard the company had prior knowledge of the risk because a Worksafe inspector had attended the workplace in 2015 and issued compliance notices.
