Prosecution Details

As an employer failed to ensure that measures were provided, as far as practicable, to prevent interference with or use of plant, namely a Wohlenberg Three-Knife Trimmer, in a manner that could render the plant a hazard to any person at the workplace.

On 16 January 1997 the injured employee was checking the books being trimmed on the Wohlenberg Three-Knife Trimmer machine. He lifted the front guard of the machine to clear some waste trimmings when the knives came down on his right hand. He sustained severe lacerations from above his wrist down to his palm.

Two days prior to the accident another employee had made the safety cut-off switch to the front guard inoperative in order to access the cutting area for another job and it was not readjusted when that job was completed. Apart from one other employee (not the injured one) no other persons were informed or made aware that the front guard was inoperative. No warning signs were displayed on the machine.