This Safety Information Release highlights the dangers of working with nut butter mill machines with accessible moving parts.
In January 2024, a worker in a wholefood store was injured while cleaning a butter grinding machine (also known as a butter mill). The tip of the worker’s finger was removed by the sharp blades within the machine which were accessible via the opening at the outfeed area (the output spout on the front cover).
Action required
If you have nut butter mill machines in your workplace, you must immediately ensure:
- exposed danger areas are adequately safeguarded to ensure they are not physically accessible, and no body part can reach any moving parts of the mill
- if guarding must be removed for maintenance and cleaning, you must take steps to ensure (so far as is reasonably practicable) that the machine cannot be restarted until the guarding is replaced (i.e. isolate all sources of energy)
- children are not able to use the machine
- a risk assessment is performed to ensure all hazards have been eliminated or minimised as far as reasonably practicable
- you follow the manufacturer/supplier’s information for correct use, cleaning, inspection, and maintenance of the machine
- information and instruction for using of the machine is provided
If any of the points above are not met, you should cease using the nut butter mill machine and contact the manufacturer/supplier.
Related guidance material
- Managing the risks of plant in the workplace - Code of practice (PDF, 1987.96 KB)
- Safety Guards (PDF, 7787.69 KB)
- Guide to Machine Safety (PDF, 735.27 KB)
- AS 4024.1801 - Safety of machinery, Part 1801: Safety distances to prevent danger zones being reached by upper and lower limbs