A Hoppers Crossing manufacturer has been fined $42,000 for failing to properly guard four pieces of machinery.
Cardboard carton manufacturer Ramabo Pty Ltd last month pleaded guilty in the Werribee Magistrates Court to four charges of failing to maintain plant and equipment that was safe and without risks to health.
In addition to the $42,00 fine, the company was ordered to pay $5867 in costs, but no conviction was recorded.
The court heard that WorkSafe visited Ramabo in February last year and found that the business had exposed workers to the risk of being crushed or sustaining entanglement injuries by removing a guard that prevented access to hazardous, moving parts on a folder-gluer machine; failing to install a rear guard on a hole-punching machine and taping up wires to allow the machine to run while the guard was raised; failing to repair a damaged mesh guard on a slitter-scorer, exposing workers to a moving blade; and leaving running pinch points between a conveyor and a roller unguarded.
WorkSafe health and safety acting executive director Paul Fowler described Ramabo’s attitude to workplace safety as “cavalier”.
“Employers must ensure machinery is fitted with the appropriate guards or barriers so moving parts cannot be touched or accessed while operating,” he said.
