A Bay of Plenty sawmill has been ordered to pay more than $250,000 in fines and reparations after a worker lost a finger while doing maintenance on a machine.
The Pukepine Sawmills worker's hand came into contact with a rotating edger drum in September 2022, leaving him with "life-changing" injuries. Edgers use fast-spinning blades to trim rough edges off timber after it is cut from a log
The worker lost his middle finger, part of his ring finger, and "narrowly avoided" losing his thumb and index finger.
A WorkSafe investigation found the machine's guarding and safety controls "did not adequately prevent access to hazardous moving parts while the equipment was slowing down".
It found the edger drum could continue to rotate for around 15 minutes after the power was switched off.
At the Tauranga District Court, Pukepine Sawmills was ordered to pay $34,300 in emotional harm reparation and $5,712.95 in consequential loss reparation.
It was fined $210,000 and must pay $5000 in costs.
WorkSafe regional manager Nigel Formosa said the case showed that turning off power to potentially dangerous machinery was not always enough.
“Businesses must identify all sources of hazardous energy, including momentum and run-down time in machinery, and ensure workers cannot access danger zones until equipment has come to a complete stop.”
Formosa said effective machine guarding was the most reliable way to prevent serious harm.
"Where workers need regular access for maintenance or servicing, businesses should consider engineering controls such as interlocked guards, guard-locking systems, or other measures that physically prevent access until machinery is safe.”
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