Arm amputation after machinery entanglement lands quarry $100K fine

On Monday 1 December, after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide or maintain safe plant and safe systems of work, Kurdeez Minerals Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Warrnambool Magistrates’ Court. The operator of a Timboon lime quarry’s has conviction and fine of $100,000 (with an order to pay $3635.50 in costs) followed a worker’s arm entanglement in machinery, leading to amputation,

The quarry used a large rotary dryer, partially enclosed by a fence, to heat and dry limestone before crushing, the court heard, with the plant having five danger points, formed by rotating rollers and cogs, which posed a risk of entanglement. The incident occurred in November 2023, when the worker was rostered on to operate the dryer and was tasked with greasing the plant’s unguarded drive gear cog.

The worker entered the fenced off area via an access gate and applied the grease while the dryer was still operating. The worker’s right arm was pulled into the gear cog during the process, causing serious injuries that required an amputation below the elbow and six subsequent surgeries.

While there was a standard operating procedure for using the plant, a WorkSafe Victoria investigation found that it only stated that greasing points should be lubricated prior to start up and did not include any lock-out tag-out (LOTO) procedures. Further, the verbal training the worker received did not cover the use of the LOTO isolator switch nor starting or greasing the plant.

It was reasonably practicable, the company admitted, to have installed secure fencing with no gaps around the dryer and to have controlled access through a lockable gate. The company also failed to provide workers with a LOTO induction and a lock and tag, and have had a documented LOTO procedure that identified when and how to LOTO the plant.

“Injuries from plant don’t happen by chance,” WorkSafe Victoria Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said. “They happen when known risks are not adequately controlled.” Jenkin added: “It’s an employer’s duty to protect workers from the clear and obvious dangers associated with machinery and its moving parts, and WorkSafe will continue to take strong action against those who fail to do so.”

To manage risks when working with machinery, WorkSafe Victoria advised that employers should:

• Identify hazards, assess the risks associated with them and eliminate or control those risks by isolating them or using an alternative.
• Provide written procedures in the worker’s first language and train staff in the safe operation of equipment and machines.
• In consultation with employees and health and safety representatives, develop and implement safe operating procedures.
• Ensure safety guards and gates are compliant and fixed to machines at all times.
• Regularly inspect and service equipment and machines.
• Place signs near or on a machine to alert employees of the dangers of operating it.

Image credit: iStock.com/niuniu. Stock image used is for illustrative purposes only.