Issue Date:  -  Tuesday, 18 October 2005

West Australian newspapers fined for unsafe workplace

West Australian Newspapers Holdings Limited has been fined $15,000 after an employee’s fingers were caught and crushed in machinery at the workplace.
 
The company pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court on October 4 of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace for an employee, and by that failure, causing serious harm to a person.

In August 2004, an employee was allocated to act as the ‘Unwinder Monitor’ on one of the newspaper’s 16 unwinding units used as part of the production process for inserts going into the paper’s Saturday edition.

The conveyor belt and unwinding machinery includes a pinch point where fingers or hands could be drawn in and injured.

At the time of the incident this pinch point was not guarded to prevent any body part getting caught in any of the 16 unwinding units at WA Newspapers.

The incident took place when the employee noticed damaged inserts and reached in with both hands to pick them up. The employee got her fingers caught in the pinch and received crush injuries and lacerations to three fingers of her left hand.

The left index finger was so badly damaged the tip of the finger had to be amputated and there is painful nerve damage to the finger.

The court was told that between the year 2000 and  30 August 2004 there had been three prior incidents where WA Newspaper employees had received injuries to their fingers while trying to straighten or remove inserts from the units.

The court was also told that following this incident guards had been put in place in all of the newspaper’s unwinding units that prevent body parts from coming into contact with the pinch point.

WorkSafe WA Commissioner Nina Lyhne said today the case highlighted the need to make sure machinery in workplaces is safely guarded.

“I am extremely disappointed WorkSafe is yet again having to take prosecution action in  a case involving inadequate or no guarding. It would seem that the message on guarding is still not getting through.

“ Guarding is the oldest and most easily understood method for minimizing the risk of injury to machine operators and it has been required by occupational safety and health legislation for a long time,” Ms Lyhne said.

Ms Lyhne said that given the large number of serious incidents where there has been inadequate guarding, WorkSafe has now included guarding on the list of priorities for inspection when visiting workplaces.

“ It is absolutely crucial that the moving parts of machinery are guarded and WorkSafe inspectors will be very focused on employers who do not provide a safe workplace by ensuring this is done.”

Further information on the guarding of machinery can be obtained by telephoning WorkSafe on 9327 8777 or on the website at www.safetyline.wa.gov.au