CHALLENGE Dairy has been fined $10,000 after pleaded guilty in the Busselton Court of Petty Sessions to two charges under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations relating to the lock-out and guarding of machinery.
The company was fined $5,000 on each charge.
A dairy employee who was cleaning a machine sustained serious crush injuries to his right hand when he reached into an opening in the "cheese mellowing tube" and his glove was caught by a rotating auger.
The moving parts in the machine were not adequately guarded and the dairy did not have procedures in place for the locking out and tagging of the machine while it was being cleaned.
Manufacturers of machinery are legally required to make sure the plant and machinery is designed in such a way that operators are protected from injury.
Employers and operators are under an obligation to leave guards and other safety devices in place when machinery is being operated.
Guards should be designed to protect the user but allow access for maintenance and should not be removed unless the machine is stopped, isolated from the power source and locked out.
