Kurdeez Minerals Pty Ltd was sentenced in the Warrnambool Magistrates' Court on Monday 1 December after pleading guilty to a single charge of failing to provide or maintain safe plant and safe systems of work.
The company was also ordered to pay $3635.50 in costs.
The court heard the quarry used a large rotary dryer, partially enclosed by a fence, to heat and dry limestone before crushing. The plant had five danger points, formed by rotating rollers and cogs, which posed a risk of entanglement.
In November 2023, the worker was rostered on to operate the dryer and was tasked with greasing the plant's unguarded drive gear cog. He entered the fenced off area via an access gate and applied the grease while the dryer was still operating.
During the process, the worker's right arm was pulled into the gear cog, causing serious injuries which required an amputation below the elbow and six subsequent surgeries.
A WorkSafe investigation found that while there was a standard operating procedure for using the plant, it only stated that greasing points should be lubricated prior to start up and did not include any lock-out tag-out (LOTO) procedures. The verbal training the worker received did not cover starting or greasing the plant, nor the use of the LOTO isolator switch.
The company admitted it was reasonably practicable 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 have had a documented LOTO procedure that identified when and how to LOTO the plant, and provide workers with a LOTO induction and a lock and tag.
WorkSafe Chief Health and Safety Officer Sam Jenkin said the worker's life-changing injury could have been avoided had the right safety measures been in place.
"Injuries from plant don't happen by chance," Mr Jenkin said. "They happen when known risks are not adequately controlled."
"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 employers should:
- Identify hazards, assess the risks associated with them and eliminate or control those risks by isolating them or using an alternative.
- 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.
- 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 of the dangers of operating it.
