A Melbourne noodle restaurant has been fined a total of $40,000 after a worker was injured by a dough mixer machine, which then remained in use in defiance of WorkSafe inspectors.
MMPX Pty Ltd, trading as Bowltiful, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on 13 September after pleading guilty to two charges under the OHS Act.
The company was, without conviction, fined $25,000 for failing to provide or maintain plant that was safe and without risks to health and $15,000 for failing to comply with a prohibition notice, plus $5,671 costs.
In May 2023, a 31-year-old worker was mixing ingredients when his hand was struck by a mixing blade and was pulled into the machine, causing degloving of the skin on his right hand.
WorkSafe inspectors investigated, finding the dough mixer was not fitted with an interlock guard, allowing it to continue operating with the lid open, exposing employees to the rotating paddles.
They issued a prohibition notice until the risk was remedied. However when inspectors returned a month later, they found the machine was still in use.
WorkSafe Executive Director Health and Safety Sam Jenkin said the incident demonstrated the critical importance of proper safety measures on all machinery and equipment. "The lack of basic safeguards on this cooking equipment directly led to a preventable injury that could have been much worse for this worker," Mr Jenkin said. "There is no excuse for businesses who fail to keep their workers safe, particularly when they are already well aware of the risks from particular machinery and equipment in their workplace."
Read more: Noodle restaurant fined $40,000 after dough mixer injury.