The incident occurred recently when a farmer was undertaking maintenance on a potato harvesting trailer in preparation for harvest season. The farmer was pulled into the moving parts of the conveyor belt and suffered a serious injury to his arm.

On machinery where guarding is missing, bypassed, or ineffective, there is a high risk of entanglement, crushing, or amputation.

Where maintenance or repair is required, an effective lock out/tag out system must be in place to ensure plant cannot be re-energised.

Inadequately guarded conveyors can result in entanglement injuries, amputation, crush injuries or death.

A serious incident can occur when:

• workers attempt to remove debris, soil, or blockages while conveyors are running
• loose clothing, long hair, gloves, or limbs are caught in moving belts or rollers
• guards do not exist or have been removed for maintenance and not replaced
• workers access conveyors due to poor visibility or awkward layouts
• emergency stop systems have not been fitted, are not accessible, or are not working properly.

Common contributing factors

• Absence of physical guarding or inadequate guarding design
• Poor maintenance practices
• Lack of isolation procedures (lockout/tagout)
• Limited worker training or supervision
• Lack of understanding of the hazards and risks associated with the plant.
• Time pressure during harvesting operations
• Poor placement or absence of emergency stops

Required control measures

Duty holders must ensure risks are eliminated or minimised so far as is reasonably practicable.

This can be achieved through a combination of engineering controls such as guarding and emergency stop devices, administrative controls including safe operating procedures and training, and personal protective equipment.

Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA), persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) such as employers must:

• ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that plant is safe and without risks to health and safety
• provide and maintain safe systems of work
• ensure workers are provided with information, training, and supervision.

Designers, manufacturers, importers, and suppliers of plant must ensure that equipment is designed and supplied with appropriate guarding.

Further information

• SafeWork SA – Plant and machinery safety guidance
• Code of Practice: Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace