Man Loses Foot in Screw Conveyor at Meat Processing Plant

Jul 10, 2018

A 59-year-old worker lost a foot after a machinery-related accident early Tuesday at the Oakey Beef Exports meat processing plant in Oakey, Queensland, Australia, local media reports said.

A company official said the worker's foot was cut off by screw conveyor at the site at about midnight, according to a report by South Australian newspaper The Chronicle. The employee has served for more than a decade in the plant's byproducts department.

The 59-year-old man was reportedly cleaning the equipment when the injury occurred. First responders transported him to an area hospital, News.co.au said in its coverage.

"He is in good spirits and conscious and alert and in stable condition," the plant's general manager, Pat Gleeson, told The Chronicle, adding, "Unfortunately, they couldn't re-attach the foot but he will have follow up surgery tomorrow."

Officials from Workplace Health and Safety have opened an investigation into the incident.

Oakey Beef Exports is part of NH Foods Australia. Its plant in Oakey is one of the biggest processing plants for beef in Australia, according to the company's website, with a headcount of some 750 workers.

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