A Melton exhaust system manufacturer has been convicted and fined $40,000 after a worker had four fingers amputated while using inadequately guarded machinery.
MPI Global Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Sunshine Magistrates Court on Thursday, July 27, after pleading guilty to one charge of failing to provide or maintain plant that was safe and without risks to health.
The company was also ordered to pay costs of $6478.
The court heard the worker was using a press machine to form steel plate to make muffler caps when the injury occurred in October 2020.
There was a guard at the front of the machine that needed to be removed to access the steel plate and, while there was a safety rod in place to ensure the press did not come back down before the guard did, this rod had disconnected.
The worker tried to reconnect the safety rod and resumed operating the press, which shortly afterwards crushed his hand, amputating four fingers.
The worker underwent multiple surgeries and only two of his fingers could be successfully re-attached.
A WorkSafe investigation found it was common for the safety rod to come loose, meaning the press would start working without the guard being fully down. Workers would fix the safety rod by adding new nuts and bolts that were found around the workplace and not specifically designed to keep it in place.
Workers had advised the company about a dozen times that the safety rod was broken.
The court found that it was reasonably practicable for the company to use an interlocked physical barrier on the press machine and to ensure the machine was regularly serviced, checked daily, and that components such as the safety rod were repaired.
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Narelle Beer said the company’s disregard for safety had left a worker with life-altering injuries.
“This case highlights the awful damage that can be done when employers fail in their duty to do everything they can to provide a safe workplace,” she said.
“There are absolutely no excuses for neglecting to properly guard machinery or undertake regular servicing and repairs to ensure they can be used safely.”
