Fined $137,940 after apprentice loses arm

A Sydney green waste recycling company and its director have been fined a $137,940 by the NSW Industrial Court after a 15 year-old apprentice lost his arm as a result of a workplace incident.

Australian Native Landscapes Pty Ltd, of Terry Hills and its managing director, Patrick Soares, pleaded guilty to breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000.

The conviction resulted from an incident at the company's North Ryde recycling facility on 19 November 2003 when the apprentice was cleaning mulch from a green waste conveyor while it was running.

The apprentice's right arm became caught under the roller, and later had to be amputated.

Justice Schmidt fined Australian Native Landscapes Ltd $125,400 and its managing director $12,540.

In handing down the penalties, Justice Schmidt said: "On the evidence, there can be no doubt at all that what occurred was both entirely foreseeable, and that there were simple steps available which would have ensured that this risk to safety could not have materialised."