A Laverton North business has been fined $20,000 after an employee sustained injuries to her arm when it became trapped in a conveyor belt.
Magistrate Julian Ayres ordered recycling company Shred-X to pay a $20,000 fine, plus legal costs amounting to $3386, after the workplace incident on March 25 this year.
The employee was sorting paper on a conveyor belt when a piece of paper became stuck in the nip-point of an adjacent conveyor.
She left her work station to remove the paper, taking off a safety guard and reaching into the nip-point to dislodge it.
When she put her hand inside the guarded area, the glove she was wearing became entangled in the conveyor and pulled her arm into the nip-point.
Shred-X pleaded guilty to failing to conduct a risk assessment, provide information, instruction, training or supervision, and other offences.
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Marnie Williams said the case was a reminder that trauma caused by a workplace injury could not be underestimated.
“We know that a serious injury can affect not just the worker but their family, friends and colleagues,” Ms Williams said.
“It is critically important that the guarding on machinery is appropriate – in this case the guarding should have been fixed to the machine.”
