A family-run cherry farm in Yarck, Koala Cherries Pty Ltd, has entered an enforceable undertaking with WorkSafe following a serious incident that resulted in a new employee suffering a degloving injury. The workplace utilises a cherry grading machine which transports boxes of cherries along motorised conveyors onto 23 lanes of metal rollers for packing and weighing.
The employee began her first day of work at Koala Cherries with a 40-minute group induction which did not cover the safe use of the conveyor belt where she would be working, offered no information about the conveyor pinch points and failed to include the location and instructions of how to use the emergency stop cable.
Whilst attempting to dislodge a box of cherries that had become caught between conveyor 19 and the rollers, her left thumb and forefinger became entangled. When she screamed, other workers attempted to stop the conveyor by pulling the emergency stop cable, but conveyors 18 to 23 continued to run. Another employee ran to the isolator two lanes away and terminated the conveyor poser from there.
Following the WorkSafe investigation Koala Cherries were charged with 4 breaches of the OHS Act for their failure to guard the pinch points on lanes 18 and 19, failure to provide information, instruction and training, and failure to conduct regular checks of the emergency stop cable’s function. The charges were withdrawn following Koala Cherries commitment to enter an enforceable undertaking (EU) to be completed over an 18-month period.
The estimated value of the EU is $220,000, and includes the following elements -
- significant safety updates to Koala’s workplace and workplace practices
- the production of safety videos regarding key risks throughout Koala’s workplace
- the creation and publication of standard operating procedures and template competency tests for tractor operation, Skid Steer Loader, ATV, RTV, manual handling, power assisted pruning, spray pump, chemical spraying, chemical storage and handling boom lift. Koala to collaborate with the Victorian Farmers Federation (VFF) and two other industry organisations to distribute these resources free of charge to industry operators
- host two free training events with VFF for industry operators that will address topics including incident reporting and the most common type of hazards and risks associated with the use of plant, machinery, and equipment on farms
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria | Enforceable Undertaking Koala Cherries