Makmur Enterprises Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to failing to provide a safe working environment and failing to provide safe plant with an interlocking guard.
The court also ordered the company to pay $5,816 in costs.
In October 2024, a worker at Makmur's Richmond factory was operating a dough-mixing machine, using a metal scraper to move dough from the edge of the bowl closer to the agitator.
During this process, the metal scraper struck the rotating agitator blade and the worker's finger was crushed between the scraper and another part of the machine, causing a laceration that required hospital treatment.
A WorkSafe investigation found that while Makmur had installed a metal grill to reduce access to the rotating agitator blades, there were still large gaps that allowed a person to reach their hand or arm behind the grill into the danger area.
Makmur admitted it was reasonably practicable to have used a combination of fixed and openable guarding connected to an interlock to prevent access to the danger area while the machine was operating.
The company has previously been fined a total of $345,000 after being charged in relation to five similar incidents dating back to 2014.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said the company's safety record showed a brazen disregard for the safety of its workers.
"This is the sixth time Makmur has been prosecuted over inadequate guarding on their machinery, leaving workers with hands and fingers degloved, crushed, lacerated and amputated," Mr Jenkin said.
"WorkSafe has a trove of guidance on how to properly guard machinery and we also offer free, independent safety consultations to help manufacturing employers meet their obligations - so there really are no excuses."
To manage risks when working with machinery employers should:
- Identify hazards, assess the risks associated with them and eliminate or control those risks by isolating plant from persons, using engineering controls and/or providing substitute plant with lower risk levels.
- Train staff in the safe operation of machines and equipment and provide written procedures in the worker's first language.
- Develop and implement safe operating procedures in consultation with employees and health and safety representatives (HSRs).
- Ensure safety guards and gates are compliant and fixed to machines at all times.
Regularly service and inspect machines and equipment.
- Place signs on or near a machine to alert employees to the dangers of operating it.
