A labour hire worker suffered a traumatic amputation when one of their arms was caught in the crush point between a conveyor belt and a roller at a recycling plant.
The worker had been employed as a picker, responsible for removing unsuitable items from conveyor belts and clearing blockages. They were dragged into the crush point when, after a blockage had been cleared and the belts restarted, they reached in to remove a rock. There was no guarding in place around the conveyor’s crush points, and no lockout/tagout procedure to isolate moving parts during such tasks.
The Managing Director of the company worked regularly on site and had the control and authority to implement appropriate safety measures, but these weren’t in place.
Outcome: The company was fined $230,000—reduced from $330,000 on appeal—and its Managing Director was fined $70,000.
