A man’s leg has been amputated after he was seriously injured in a workplace accident in Sydney, with authorities slamming the company for failing to address the “patently obvious” risks.
The worker, who was an employee of packaging company Visy Board, suffered a crushed ankle while working on a conveyor at the company’s Smithfield worksite in June 2020.
The man unknowingly stepped into the path of a trolley car, causing it to hit his leg and trap it between the car and the conveyor.
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His left ankle was crushed in the process and required multiple surgeries following the accident.
The man was then required to have his leg surgically amputated below the knee due to an infection.
Visy has been fined $375,000 in the NSW District Court after SafeWork NSW prosecuted the company over the incident.
A SafeWork NSW investigation found a risk assessment carried out at the worksite about six months earlier raised concerns about “crush/pinch points between edge of trolley car and conveyors corners”.
Visy acknowledged the risk was “unacceptable”, yet the company failed to implement any of the solutions outlined by the risk assessment.
“Visy were aware of the danger their employees were working in and, despite being given steps to eliminate or minimise the risk, did not act appropriately to address the risk,” SafeWork NSW head Trent Curtin said.
“Mobile plant, including trolley cars, have the potential to seriously injure or kill people.
“Workplaces need to identify risks such as where mobile plant might interact with people and design their workplace layout so that vehicles and pedestrians are separate wherever possible.”