Thomastown company, PGH Bricks & Pavers Pty Ltd, has been convicted and fined after a worksafe incident in which an employee’s arm was crushed in a conveyor belt.
Work Safe Victoria said that the incident, which occured in 2018, involved an employee whose arm was caught under a head drum powering a conveyor belt transporting clay.
The man’s injuries included a dislocated elbow, crushed nerves and damage from his bicep to his fingers
The emergency stop button was engaged when another worker heard the man’s cry for help.
PGH was convicted and fined $40,000 in the Heidelberg Magistrates court on Wednesday, September 14.
The company earlier pleaded guilty to failing to provide a plant that was, so far as reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.
Another company, Bricks Australia Services Pty Ltd (BAS), which also employed staff at the site, was fined $10,000 without conviction, and ordered to pay costs of $3,140.
BAS earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to provide necessary information or instructions to enable its employees to perform their work safely.
The court heard that the incident could have been prevented as reasonable practice is to affix guarding to the head drum and BAS should have ensured workers were informed of the risks posed by the plant.
WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Narelle Beer said that the risks relating to this type of machinery are well known and the man’s injuries could have been avoided if the appropriate safety measures were implemented.
“There is no excuse for duty holders who fail to implement guarding around known danger areas, or who fail to provide their staff with the training they need to perform tasks safely,” Ms Beer said.
