Prosecutions

$25k FINE FOR FINGER AMPUTATION

Transport freight company, Tasmanian Freight Services, was fined $25,000.00 and ordered to pay costs of $4,391.00 after a labour hire worker had the tip of his right ring finger amputated whilst assisting others to load a truck at a depot in Laverton North.

A worker was required to use a forklift to load a large pallet of goods onto a truck but the pallet load was not sitting properly. The injured worker picked up a piece of wood and put it in front of the pallet load, as a bearer, so the driver could use the forklift tynes to push it.

As the driver operated the forklift, the injured worker’s finger became jammed between the piece of wood and the pallet causing the amputation.

First aid was administered at the workplace, before another employee transported the injured worker to Werribee and then to the Sunshine Hospital.

The injured worker was admitted to the Sunshine Hospital where he underwent surgery. Unfortunately doctors were unable to reattach his finger due to the extent of the damage caused. The amputation occurred at the first knuckle joint of the right ring finger.

Share Tweet

RELATED

ASK RENATA
I’ve heard that 9-inch grinders have been banned on construction sites. Can you confirm this is true?
Read More
WORLD OHS CONGRESS: THREE PILLARS OF ACTION
The 23rd World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, has commenced in Sydney, with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) emphasising the urgency required to address work-related accidents and diseases.
Read More
COVID NUMBERS CONTINUE TO CLIMB
Victorian data taken from Department of Health Weekly Report 24 November 2023. The number of people in hospital with COVID-19 increased this week to a daily average of 325, up from 317 last week. The...
Read More