A meat processing company in Napier has been fined almost $300,000 after a worker injured her hand in machinery at the plant.
Fresh Meats NZ was ordered to pay $293,000 after being sentenced in the Napier District Court on Friday.
The total included a fine of $253,125 and reparations of $40,000.
The fine came after an incident in November 2018.
At the time a worker was cleaning chains used to move carcasses when her arm became trapped in the moving parts.
"It took the victim’s co-workers 10 minutes to help remove her hand from the chain," WorkSafe said in a statement on Monday.
"As a result of the incident she suffered extensive lacerations and trauma to muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and bones in her right hand and wrist."
WorkSafe Acting Chief Inspector Danielle Henry said the injuries were so serious the woman would never recover full mobility of her hand.
An investigation by WorkSafe following the incident found the machinery lacked adequate guarding.
"The importance of machine guarding has been a focus area across all industries for many years,” said Henry.
"Though a task instruction sheet prepared by the company clearly stated that machinery should only be cleaned when it was turned off, our investigation found it was common practice for staff to clean the machinery while it was moving.
"Fresh Meats NZ Limited had gone so far as to identify a hazard, but then did not make sure the safe system of work was in place. Writing down a health and safety plan is one thing, but it must be implemented."
The slaughter and processing company processes over 250,000 lambs a year.
