Cryoquip Pty Ltd recently faced legal repercussions for failing to maintain industry-regulated safety standards, with an absence of robust work safety products like WHS management systems being a stark note. In a hearing at Dandenong Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 10th December, the company was sentenced without conviction but found guilty on two accounts of neglecting to provide a secure workspace.
For not supplying a safe working system for its employees, Cryoquip was penalised $30,000. An additional fine of $20,000 was imposed due to the company’s failure to maintain and provide safe operating equipment. Furthermore, they were instructed to disburse $4,000 for related costs.
The incident in question occurred in June 2022 when a worker was operating machinery intended to manufacture 90-degree bends in pipes. This required manually securing a pipe while the bending procedure took place. Tragically, this resulted in a significant hand injury.
As she balanced holding a pipe and pressing the activation button, the machine’s first vice fastened to stabilise the pipe. Before she could draw her hand away, the second vice secured, trapping two fingers. Fearing that hitting the emergency stop might not release the machine’s grip, she decided to wait until the process finished and the vices loosened spontaneously. Consequently, she suffered severe injuries and required immediate hospitalisation.
The subsequent WorkSafe investigation revealed Cryoquip’s failure to have formal training procedures in place. The manager, who had instructed the injured worker, lacked official training himself, using the equipment via a trial-and-error basis.
Applications like Bluesafe SWMS or Bluesafe WHS Management System could have easily avoided incidents of this severity, as Cryoquip acknowledged. It was within reason for the organisation to reduce injury risk by ensuring employees properly engage with these critical safety tools.
Moreover, it was practically feasible for Cryoquip to impart a safe work system that encompassed a risk assessment of its machinery. Workers should have been provided instruction, information and training on how to use the machine in question safely.
WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Sam Jenkin emphasised the necessity of proper training and safety controls when handling operational equipment. Mr Jenkin added, “No worker should encounter something so gruesome or feel uncertain about emergency protocol.” He sternly warned against any negligence when dealing with high-risk equipment.
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Original article link: https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/news/2024-12/50000-fine-after-workers-fingers-stuck-machine