MCCAIN Foods has been fined $145,000 after a maintenance fitter’s left thumb was amputated by a machine in 2007 due to health and safety failings at its Ballarat plant.
According to WorkSafe Victoria, McCain Foods was convicted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Two fitters and an electrician were attempting to fix a machine which peels and cleans potatoes on the company’s French Fries potato line. They believed the broken machine was isolated through its control switches, but it was actually on a manual setting.
When one of the fitters put his hand in the machine to loosen a chain, the machine started up, amputating his left thumb.
WorkSafe Victoria says the company has since complied with two improvement notices, and developed an isolation lockout procedure for the machine. McCain Foods has also designed labels for each piece of plant indicating whether or not multiple isolations are required.
WorkSafe Victoria claims the incident echoes a 2008 conviction of the same company, when a pizza shredder at the same plant unexpectedly started while a maintenance mechanic was working on it, causing skin and flesh on one of his fingers to be removed.
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