An Australian truss manufacturer has been fined A$160,000 after three accidents in which workers lost fingers and suffered head and hand crush injuries.
Timbertruss pleaded guilty to health and safety charges relating to three accidents in 2009 within a period of four months.
One worker’s hand was crushed in a press, while another’s head was crushed between a saw and the side of a machine while he attempted to remove a blockage. A third lost two fingers as he removed timber off-cuts from a poorly guarded saw.
An investigation found the company had administrative controls but failed to implement adequate physical barriers to prevent injury. Timbertruss has since added appropriate machine guarding and other measures.
