Rasta Kemp: Dad, 24, dies after clothes get caught on conveyor belt, dragging him into machine and impaling him
Rasta Kemp: Dad, 24, dies after clothes get stuck on conveyor belt, dragging him into machine and impaling him on a skewer
A timber company has been fined following a fatal accident that left a young father trapped in a conveyor belt and impaled on machinery.
Rasta Kemp, 24, was killed in May 2018 while unloading timber from a timber mill in Benalla in north-east Victoria.
The father of one child’s clothes became stuck in a conveyor belt mechanism that dragged him until he was impaled on a metal pallet, known as a rack, used to store materials, according to 7News.
Rasta Kemp, 24, was killed in May 2018 while unloading timber from a timber mill in Benalla in north-east Victoria
WorkSafe Victoria found that timber company D&R Henderson could have prevented such an accident by covering the conveyor belt.
‘Investigators found that it would have been reasonably practicable for the company to instruct employees about the risk of becoming entangled in the rotating shaft, where to position themselves to avoid this, and to contact a supervisor to make repairs to be arranged if the tires came off the conveyor belts. ‘, according to WorkSafe.
D&R Henderson pleaded guilty in the Melbourne District Court on Thursday to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The company was fined a total of $350,000 for failing to maintain safe work systems and providing safety information and training to employees.
The ruling against the D&R Henderson timber mill provided little comfort to Mr Kemp’s grieving relatives (pictured). “Should have been closed permanently,” said one
WorkSafe director of health and safety Narelle Beer said Mr Kemp’s death could have been prevented if the right safety measures had been in place.
“Employers and duty holders should make every effort to eliminate or reduce risks to workers from moving machinery, including guarding or physical separation and instructing workers on how to work safely,” she said.
Labor hire company Recruitment Select Pty Ltd, which contracted Mr Kemp from D&R Henderson, was previously fined $50,000 over the incident.
The ruling against D&R Henderson provided little comfort to Mr Kemp’s grieving relatives.
“Should have been closed permanently,” said one.