A FARM owner from Katrine, near Northam, has been fined $22,000 and ordered to pay $4861 in costs over unsafe controls on a wool press.

Wayne Bradley Ashworth pleaded guilty to failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment and was fined in the Northam Magistrates Court late last month.

In January 2022, a farm manager was using the wool press to compress fleeces into cubic wool packs.

He had just ejected a full wool pack from the machine when, by an unknown means, the press activated while his upper body was between the press plate and the body of the machine, resulting in a fatal neck injury.

The prosecution did not allege that the machinery safety issue caused the fatality.

At the time of the incident, the wool press was more than 30 years old and did not have controls installed that required the use of both hands to protect against the risk of inadvertent activation by the operator.

When the press plate was in its fully raised position, the unguarded area between the press plate and the body of the wool press (the pinch point) was exposed to the operator.

WorkSafe Commissioner Sally North said risks of a person being caught in machinery must be identified and controlled.

“The wool press involved in this incident exposed the operator to the risk of having a body part crushed, with the added hazard of the emergency stop controls placed out of reach,” Ms North said.

“This case presents an important reminder to all workplaces with machinery of the importance of checking that controls meet contemporary standards.”

WorkSafe has a code of practice ‘Safeguarding of machinery and plant’ available on its website which outlines the hazards associated with machinery and practical ways to comply with work health and safety laws.