A farmer whose worker lost the full use of his left hand while repairing a manure conveyor has been brought before court by SafeWork.
The accident is alleged to have occurred on January 15, 2020, at an egg farm run by Bede Burke and his wife Narelle near Tamworth.
According to court documents seen by AAP, employee Desmond Saunders was attempting to repair the four-metre high conveyor while standing on a forklift and pallet.
His hand was sliced open and a finger fractured after being caught on the moving belt and dragged underneath the drum roller.
He was taken to Tamworth Hospital and required multiple surgeries and the reconstruction of his left shoulder.
“Saunders has not returned to work and has been left with a permanent impairment of his left hand,” agreed facts filed with the court say.
Although Mr Burke was notified of the incident, he allegedly did not inform SafeWork.
Instead, the accident was brought to the agency’s attention by a member of Mr Saunder’s family on January 21.
Source: Canberra Times
