In December 2019, a worker suffered serious injury when his arm was caught in a hopper. Early investigations indicate the open hopper contained metal shafts and stainless-steel rods that rotated to mix dough ingredients.
Preventing a similar incident
Plant is a major cause of death and injury in our workplaces. There are significant risks associated with using plant and severe injuries can result from the unsafe use of plant including:
- limbs amputated by unguarded moving parts of machines
- limbs amputated by inadvertent activation of unguarded machinery
- electric shock from plants not adequately protected or isolated.
Noodle making machines are used to mix dough ingredients prior to extraction through rollers to produce pastry and noodles. Plant with hoppers that feed into rotating machinery (such as screw conveyors, rollers, and blades) can be found in a range of industries including; agriculture, manufacturing, and construction. A person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) has duties under WHS legislation to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the provision and maintenance of a safe plant.
Read more… (“QLD Govt eSafe Incident Alert”)