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A Dandenong factory has been fined $60,000 after a worker’s fingers were amputated on a spinning saw blade.
Oliver Projects Pty Ltd was found guilty in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on 6 February of failing to provide a safe system of work and failing to provide instruction.
The court heard that the cabinet maker was using a saw to cut sections of melamine for the installation of a range hood.
After cutting a panel, the worker attempted to push an off-cut into a waste bin while the blade was still spinning.
His hand caught the blade. Three of his fingers were amputated just above the first knuckle.
They were later surgically reattached.
The court heard Oliver Projects had previously engaged an OHS advisor to develop a safe operating procedure for the panel saw but had failed to implement it or use it to train staff.
Brief instructions set out in an exercise book attached to the saw were inadequate. They didn’t require workers to turn off the saw and wait for the blade to stop before removing off-cuts.
WorkSafe health-and-safety executive director Julie Nielsen said the life-changing injury could have easily been avoided if the company had provided workers with proper training.
“It’s incredibly frustrating to know this company had been provided with an appropriate safety procedure for the saw but inexplicably failed to pass this information on to its workers,” Ms Nielsen said.
“WorkSafe will not hesitate to prosecute employers who fail to ensure the safety of their workers is always their first priority.”
Oliver Projects was also ordered to pay costs of $4,248.
