A mineral producer admitted it should have done more to prevent an employee from being entangled in machinery.
A female worker’s right arm should never have been trapped between an unguarded conveyor roller and motorised belt back in April 2020. An emergency stop device also should have been fitted. This is the conclusion investigators reached after examining the alleged health and safety breach.
“The worker sustained serious injuries, requiring hospitalisation and several surgical treatments to her arm. The young worker was 18-years-old and continues to suffer from the incident,” SafeWork South Australia said in a public statement.
“A risk assessment could have been carried out by the company including an adequate response … [and] the incident that occurred, and the injuries that were sustained, could have been prevented,” executive director Martyn Campbell added.
Since Pacific Salt pleaded guilty early the SA Employment Tribunal convicted the employer, and ordered it to pay a discounted $75,000 fine plus legal expenses.
The company spent a further $20,000 on fitting new guards and an emergency stop control device to the conveyor. It also paid $300,000 to review and improve safety requirements for plant and equipment, and performed an independent safety audit.
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