Trapped worker dies at recycling facility

A Queensland worker who became trapped in a conveyer belt system at a recycling facility was fatally injured during the incident in March 2019.

According to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland incident alert, it is not yet clear what caused the incident and investigations are continuing.

The incident alert said plant is a major cause of workplace death and injury in Australian workplaces, with significant risks arising from unsafe use, exposure to unguarded moving parts of machines and falls while accessing, operating or maintaining plant.

In addition, conveyors (including belt and auger/screw type conveyors) pose significant risk to workers when moving parts are exposed.

According to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland, hazards likely to cause injury include:

• rotating shafts, pulleys, gearing, cables, sprockets, chains, clutches or fan blades
• the run-on points of belts, chains or cables
• crushing or shearing points eg, augers and slide blocks, roller feeds, conveyor feeds
• machine components that move, cut, grind, pulp, crush, break or pulverise materials.
   

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Belish