Magill Grain Store and its former directors fined $112,000 for auger accident which tore worker’s hand apart

A family owned grain and pet food business has been fined more than $110,000 for an industrial accident which tore apart an A-Grade footy players hand – ending his career.

A family business and its former directors have been fined more than $110,000 after an employee and high level footballer had his hand torn apart by a moving grain auger.

The Magill Grain Store had been run by a single family for around 90 years before it was sold in June this year as the fallout from the accident continued to rock the company’s directors.

The South Australian Employment Tribunal found that the accident was entirely preventable and was compounded by a 2014 warning to the company about similar machines which did not have crucial safety devices installed.

An image of an auger – a large screw used to move produce like grain or nuts.

On February 14, 2020, a bulk truck load of white millet arrived at the companies Magill shop front.

To move the grain from the back of the truck and into temporary silos the company used portable augers – large rotating screws which draw the grain up and into the containers.

One of the directors of the company was initially supervising the unloading of the grain but was called away when a second delivery arrived.

An inexperienced employee was left to run augers. The Tribunal heard that the employee had not used the augers unsupervised before.

One of the augers jammed and the employer used a knife to cut away an empty grain sack which had become caught in the screw.

As the employee was trying to manually reposition the auger with his hand on the stationary screw, the truck driver, who was assisting in the unloading, turned the auger on.

The Tribunal heard that the worker had suffered a “degloving” injury where the top layers of skin and tissue are torn away exposing either tendons, muscles or bone.

He spent several weeks in hospital, required multiple surgeries including skin and nerve grafts and had to have a one finger partially amputated.

In a victim impact statement provided to the Tribunal the worker said he was unable to play A-Grade football because of the injury and had lost income.

Tribunal Deputy president Magistrate Stuart Cole said the worker self-conscious of his injury.

The Tribunal heard that SafeWork SA had issued a prohibition notice to the company in 2014 for having exposed augers in their workshop.

The company and its directors argued they did not believe the notice extended to the portable augers used outside for trucks.

The Tribunal heard that the director who had been working nearby the accident had been having flashbacks to the incident and had been mentally suffering.

Mr Cole said the accident was “entirely preventable”.

“Guarding over the auger should have been in place, and the driver should not have been involved at all in the grain transfer,” he said.

The company and the director were fined $113,145 and convicted.