A Health and Safety Solution
Food industry – Dough roller entrapment
What is the problem?
Workers getting their hands caught in dough
machine rollers.
What are the risks?
Hands or fingers can be cut or crushed by machinery.
Amputation or serious wounds may also result.
A pizza maker crushed three fingers after she raised
the dough roller machine cover to access dough
that had blocked the rollers.
The cover on the machine had a safety switch
designed to shut down the rollers when the cover
was lifted. It failed to operate and the rollers drew
in her hand.
What is a solution to the problem?
The risk of injury can be reduced or eliminated by:
• installing a suitable interlock switch to ensure
moving parts stop and a physical barrier is created
when clearing blockages or for general cleaning
and maintenance
• ensuring all nip and trap points are guarded
to avoid injury to hands or fingers
• maintaining equipment in safe working condition
to prevent faulty operation
• inspecting and testing safety features daily
• developing procedures for the safe operation
of the machine
• training and instructing workers on the safe
working procedures
• putting signage on or near the machine to alert
workers of dangers of operating the machine.
Further Information
WorkSafe Advisory Service
Toll-free: 1800 136 089
Email: info@worksafe.vic.gov.au
worksafe.vic.gov.au
Australian Standard
AS4024.1 – Safeguarding of machinery part 1:
General principles as a code of practice
A solution
Safety bar
Dough roller machine automatically shuts off if the safety bar is lifted
or the rear cover is removed.
HSS0059/01/03.09
WorkSafe Victoria is a trading name of the Victorian WorkCover Authority.