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Meat processing industry
The incident
A young female worker employed to clean equipment in an abattoir suffered severe lacerations to her arm when it was caught in a moving conveyor belt. The meat processing workers had finished for the day and her employer instructed her to clean the conveyor belt while it was moving.
What should the employer have done?
The employer should have developed a safe system of work to eliminate the risk of workers coming into contact with moving machinery. Safe systems of work should involve ‘Isolation’ or ‘Lock out’ procedures to ensure that machines are turned off and cannot be restarted until it is safe to do so.
Employers need to provide induction and training to workers who are new to the task to ensure that machinery is safely used and correctly maintained.
This training should provide sufficient information to workers on any safe systems of work associated with its maintenance and cleaning, including the use of any ‘Isolation’ or ‘Lock out’ procedures.
Safe Operating Procedures should be developed for the safe use and maintenance of the machine.
Workers have the right to refuse to undertake an unsafe task even if a manager or supervisor instructs them to do so.
Last updated: 21 October, 2010
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Email: help@safework.sa.gov.au
