Arabic version: تغريم وزارة التعليم في فيكتوريا بسبب إصابة طالبة بمقصلة مدرسية
According to ABC News, the Victorian Department of Education has been fined $150,000 after a Year 10 student had three fingers severed while using a guillotine in a jewellery design class at Beechworth Secondary College. The department pleaded guilty in Wodonga Magistrates’ Court to two charges of breaching the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The February 9, 2024 incident occurred after an art teacher and another teacher stepped outside to deal with a filing cabinet, leaving four students unsupervised. A student operated a Metal Master Treadle Guillotine by pressing its foot pedal while the injured student held metal at the rear of the machine. Although the student’s hand was away from the cutting blade, it remained near a shear point between the beam and table.
Another student yelled for the operator to stop after seeing the injured student’s hand in the danger zone, but the beam had already lowered and severed three left fingertips. The student was taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital, where they stayed for nine days, and did not return to school for the rest of the term apart from one day.
The court heard the machine had no rear guarding. A department investigation identified inadequate supervision, missing training records, a lack of guarding and signage, and incomplete risk-assessment and competency records for the start of the 2024 school year. Two newer guillotines with rear guarding replaced older models later that month, while the department updated policies, guidance and procedures. Magistrate Peter Dunn said the incident was serious and warranted conviction, recognising its devastating impact on the student and family.
