An employer and a director, who were "lulled" into the false belief that guarding on a winch wasn't necessary, have been fined $215,000, after a worker's arm was amputated in the machine's roller.
A business owner, who failed to display a written safe work procedure, is one of two South Australian employers who have been fined nearly $40,000 for guarding breaches.
Fair Work Australia has found an employer failed to properly communicate its JSA policy to workers, but upheld the company's decision to sack a boilermaker who neglected to undertake one.
A NSW company director, who failed to conduct formal visual safety inspections, has been fined $10,000, after one of his workers lost an arm in an unguarded machine.
WorkSafe Victoria has outlined 11 "cheap and effective solutions" to ensure machinery is operated safely, after statistics revealed that nearly 450 body parts had been amputated from Victorian workers by common types of machines over the last five years.
Employers are being warned by Victorian regulators about the risks associated with petrol generators, gas appliances and synthetic fibre crane slings, following several fatalities.
A NSW employer has been fined $100,000 for failing to comply with its crane-lift plan, after one worker was killed, a second worker lost an arm, and three others were seriously injured.
Employers have a responsibility to anticipate and eliminate unsafe short cuts that workers "will persistently search for", a NSW judge has said, after a worker's fingers and thumb were amputated in an unguarded machine.
An ATO employee, who fell from a stretcher and fractured her elbow while being carted to an ambulance, has been denied workers' compensation. Also in this article, a NSW worker has been awarded compensation for a vacuuming injury.
John Holland Pty Ltd and Thiess Pty Ltd have entered into a $225,000 enforceable undertaking with WorkSafe Victoria, after they failed to provide safe systems for loading and securing concrete panels on trailers.