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Court Summary - at a glance

Date of offence:
27 September 2015
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Final decision date:
 
Fine imposed:
$33,000

Safety lessons learned:
  1. Install effective guarding in accordance with Australian and New Zealand Standard AS/NZ 4024 to prevent access to the tooth roller system;
  2. Provide a safe work procedure that included information about the hazards associated with the machine and the steps to be taken in the event of a blockage; and
  3. Effectively equip, supervise and monitor the machine operators to ensure that they understood and followed an effective lock out/tag out procedure when accessing the machine. Equipment could have included a padlock or other effective lock out device.

Defendant name:
Te Kuiti Meat Processors Limited
 
Industry:
Manufacturing
 
Date of offence:
27 September 2015
 
Facts in brief:
The Defendant company operates a meat processing plant and owns a Townsend 9000A Skinner machine. The machine is designed to remove a thin membrane known as silverskin from meat products. Meat products are placed on a conveyor and carried into a tooth roller and blade.

The victim was an experienced meat processing worker. On the day of the incident, he reached under the machine while it was operating to clear a blockage. His hand was caught by the sharp teeth of the roller and drawn up through a narrow gap between the tooth roller and infeed conveyor roller. The underside of the machine had not been guarded

The victim suffered serious injuries to all of the fingers on his right hand including extensive lacerations, fractures, ligament and nerve damage.
 
Offence section:
Sections 6 and 50(1)(a) of the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
 
Date(s) charged:

Court:
Hamilton - District Court
 
Plea:
Guilty
 
Final decision date:
 
Decision:
Convicted
 
Fine imposed:
$33,000
 
Maximum fine available:
$250,000
 
Reparation:
$62,626.70 ($45,000 emotional harm reparation and $17,626.70 for financial loss)