Australian business fined $250,000 for workplace injury

A 17-year-old student was undertaking work experience at a workshop in Coffs Harbour, removing metal strips from a brake press when he accidentally activated the machine’s knife and two of his fingers were crushed and had to be amputated.

An investigation by SafeWork New South Wales found the company had failed to:

Give proper instruction, training, information and supervision.
Provide proper guarding on the machine.

In handing down the $250,000 fine, SafeWork executive director Peter Dunphy said the judgement had taken into account the permanence of the injuries and the fact the teenager’s future employment prospects had been affected.

“This has left a young worker with lifelong injuries,” he said.

“Setting the machine so that it operated while body parts were near the knife was an action that created significant health and safety risks to workers.”

“This court decision sends a strong message to the business community, of the need to protect young and vulnerable workers so that tragic incidents like this do not occur.”

“Safety guarding is a very simple way to protect workers from being seriously injured or killed.”

Source – ABC News