WAMMCO charged by WorkSafe over death of worker who became ‘trapped in machinery’ at Katanning abattoir

A major meat processing company has been charged over the death of a foreign national after he became trapped in machinery and died while working at their Katanning abattoir. WorkSafe confirmed they were prosecuting WA Meat Marketing Co-operative over the death of the male worker — understood to be from Tonga — from December 10, 2022. The man, aged in his 20s, was working at the Katanning meatworks when he became trapped in moving parts of the machinery. He could not survive his injuries and died in hospital. In a statement on Wednesday, WorkSafe said the company had been charged with failing to provide and maintain a safe work environment, which allegedly resulted in the worker’s death The matter will be first heard in the Katanning Magistrates Court on February 4 following a two-year investigation by the safety regulator. “The maximum penalty for the offence is a fine of $3.5 million,” a WorkSafe spokeswoman said. In the wake of the man’s death, WAMMCO chief executive Coll MacRury described it as a “terrible incident”. “In relation to the terrible incident on Saturday, firstly our hearts and thoughts are with the family of the person who died,” he said. On WAMMCO’s website when searching through career opportunities, the company said that safety and health in the workplace was a responsibility shared by “all persons” at the Katanning site. “It is our strong commitment at WAMMCO to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all employees, contractors, visitors and any person legally on our Katanning processing plant site,” the website said.