562 improvement notices issued as WA 'sharpens' abattoir safety

Following a visit from WorkSafe WA regional, agricultural and industrial inspectors, 19 regional abattoirs were issued with 562 improvement notices and six prohibition notices.

At 81 notices, guarding of machinery ranked as the most common reason for the issue of notices, this was followed by provision of safe layout including floor demarcation (52 notices), maintenance and inspection of mobile plant (20 notices) and emergency stops (18 notices).

“The high number of notices issued at abattoirs illustrated that safety issues were widespread in the industry,” WorkSafe WA Commissioner Sally North said. “The workplaces involved have now been required to put additional safety measures in place to keep their workers safe.

“It’s evident that the program has raised awareness of the common workplace hazards and risks in abattoirs, and that work health and safety standards across the meat processing industry have been improved as a result of this inspection program,” North added. “WorkSafe will continue to monitor safety standards in this sector.”

The knife was the most common tool used in the industry and the cause of the most lost time injuries — the usage and care of knives being the primary focus of the inspection program.

Concerning knives, common issues included:

• workers walking around with knives,
• knives being left unsecured around the workplace,
• workers sharpening knives near other workers, and
• workers using damaged knives.

WorkSafe WA said that the best practice system seen in workplaces involved asset tracking, where workers received a sharp, sterilised knife at the start of their shift and returned the knife at the end of the shift for resharpening and storage.

You can find a snapshot of the program’s findings here, and a checklist for the industry here, both via the WorkSafe WA website.

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