A Tauranga restaurant has been fined $20,000 after an employee got his arm trapped in a pasta maker.
The Tauranga District Court has been told that in January an employee at Volare Restaurant was preparing fresh pasta in an industrial-sized mixer.
As the employee opened the lid to check the consistency of the pasta dough, his arm became caught around the mixing rod.
"Before he could stop the machine he had received multiple fractures, soft tissue damage and tendon and nerve damage to his left arm," Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment northern general manager John Howard said.
The interlock switch of the pasta machine was broken, meaning the mixing arm did not automatically stop when the lid was opened.
The machine should not have been in operation until the interlock switch was fixed, Mr Howard said.
The restaurant was fined $20,000 and ordered to pay reparation of $6000.
"It is easy to forget that a commercial kitchen can be a dangerous workplace. It is the duty of the employer to ensure that all hazards are identified and managed to ensure the safety of staff with a hazard register and written safe operating procedures," Mr Howard said.
