A worker’s arm was crushed and degloved during a horrifying accident at a factory in Perth.
Processing company Wesbeam, which manufactures and distributes laminated veneer lumber, has been fined $385,000 over the serious incident in April 2022.
Their worker was monitoring conveyor belts from a control room at the company’s base in Neerabup when he went to look at a blockage.
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“He attended the top of the waste bark conveyor and his right arm became trapped in the conveyor, crushing and degloving it,” WorkSafe WA said.
The worker required a number of surgeries, several follow-up treatments and endures significant ongoing pain, the regulator said.
‘No emergency stop within reach’
Guard panels had been fitted but some were modified to allow access to the conveyor.
The gaps “exposed nip points” and risked workers being crushed or entangled, the regulator said.
“The injured worker had not isolated the conveyor in the control room before he left and there was no emergency stop control at the top of the conveyor and within his reach,” WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said.
Wesbeam pleaded guilty to failing to ensure its fixtures, fittings or plant were safe, consequently leading to their employee’s serious injuries.
The company was fined $385,000 in the Perth Magistrates Court and was ordered to pay almost $6000 in costs.
Interlocked fencing around the log yard plant and waste bark conveyor has since been installed, along with new guarding that can only be removed using tools.
“This is a reminder to all workplaces that effective guarding of all moving parts of machinery is crucial in maintaining a safe workplace,” North said.