Meat plant convicted after woman's arm disfigured

Waitotara meat works. Photo / Wanganui Chronicle

A meat processing and marketing company has been fined $60,500 after a contractor had her hand pulled into a conveyor at a meat processing plant at Waitotara.

A cleaning company employee contracted to clean and sanitise a conveyor at the Silver Fern Farms plant had her arm pulled into a roller when her latex glove became stuck in January last year.

A fellow worker tried to stop the conveyor by pressing the emergency button, but it didn't work, Wanganui District Court was told.

The conveyor stopped only when a Silver Fern Farms employee pressed a second emergency button, but not before the woman's arm was severely disfigured.

"Silver Fern Farms could have easily prevented this accident if the conveyor was properly guarded," Department of Labour New Plymouth service manager Jo Pugh said.

"The company failed to identify the conveyor rollers as a potential hazard resulting in this worker being seriously injured - it is not acceptable. Machine guarding has been in legislation for over a century and businesses still seem to be forgetting about it."

Ms Pugh said the department was seeing far too many of this type of accident and had started a three-year project to focus on effective standards.

Silver Fern Farms was convicted under the Employment Act of 1992, fined $40,500 and ordered to pay reparations of $20,000.

- NZPA