Posted on: Sep 04, 2015
McKechnie Aluminium Solutions Limited has been fined $33,000 and ordered to pay $15,000 in reparation after an explosion caused serious burns to an employee’s foot, and superficial burns to his left hand, arm, chest and head.
The aluminium casting and manufacturing company was sentenced in the New Plymouth District Court today after pleading guilty to a charge under the Health and Safety in Employment Act for failing to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of an employee.
The employee worked in the foundry department which makes aluminium logs. In the early morning of the incident he was working at the casting table where molten aluminium – which can reach temperatures in excess of 700°C – is poured into moulds and eventually made into five metre long logs. The employee heard a hissing sound which he went to investigate. As he prepared to prod the mould with a steel rod, an explosion occurred causing the burns.
The employee did not seek immediate medical attention. About a week after the incident he went to see a doctor and was referred to a plastic surgeon. He had skin graft surgery to his left foot and spent a week in hospital. He then started physiotherapy so he could be more mobile. Two months later, he was referred to his GP for further care.
“A combination of high temperatures, molten aluminium and water is inherently dangerous,” says Keith Stewart, WorkSafe Chief Inspector. “McKechnie Aluminium Solutions Limited employees were also not properly trained, or monitored by the employer. If they had been, high-risk practices like leaning over a casting table of such high temperatures would not have occurred. They also didn’t have all the primary and secondary protective equipment that is available to keep employees safe.”
“All these factors make up a potent mix of risk and should have been properly managed.”
Source: WorkSafe NZ
Disclaimer
This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.
Posted on: Sep 04, 2015
WorkSafe says guidance on how to make machinery safe is clear and easily accessible on its website.
Petone importer and manufacturer European Profile Company Limited has been fined $24,375 and ordered to pay reparation of $17,500 after a worker had four fingers amputated by a wood cutting machine while at work.
European Profile Company Limited was sentenced and fined yesterday in the Hutt Valley District Court under the Health and Safety in Employment Act for failing to take all practicable steps to keep a worker safe.
The company imports extrusion and hardware from Europe and manufactures joinery at its Cuba Street site. The injured worker was employed as a fabricator/installer at their workshop and on 14 May 2014 was using a thicknesser to plane wood to a certain thickness. When a piece of wood jammed, he tried to push it through from the front, but it got stuck again. He then went to the outfeed end and tried to pull the piece from the other side with his right hand, bracing himself with his left hand on the machine. His left hand slipped and four fingers were amputated.
There were a number of practicable steps European Profile Company Limited could have taken to keep their worker safe. “The thicknesser should have had fitted guards to reduce the risk of the operator being injured by the cutters and saw blade,” says Keith Stewart, WorkSafe’s Chief Inspector. “There was also no evidence of staff having been trained and no evidence that they understood the way in which the machine should be operated safely, or what they should do if there are events like blockages, for instance.”
“We’ve recently had a lot of workplace prosecutions in the manufacturing sector following on from life changing injuries to people, many of which have involved unguarded machinery. The guidance on how to make machinery safe is clear and easily accessible on WorkSafe’s website. If you have machinery in your workplace, check it is as safe as it can be.”
Source: WorkSafe NZ
Disclaimer
This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.
