Industrial food mixers including dough mixers, ribbon blenders, and planetary mixers present serious entrapment hazards from rotating beaters, paddles, and agitators. Workers have been killed and severely injured by reaching into mixer bowls during operation or during cleaning when the machine was not properly isolated. Flour dust generation during mixer charging creates respiratory exposure that must be controlled under the incoming WEL of 0.5 mg/m³. This template addresses machine guarding, lockout tagout procedures, and dust control requirements under the WHS Regulation 2025 and the binding Managing Risks of Plant Code of Practice effective 1 July 2026.
WHS Regulation 2025 Part 4.7 — Plant
Plant with entrapment risk
Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace (binding 1 July 2026 under Section 26A)
Yes — effective 1 July 2026. Non-compliance is admissible as evidence of breach.
| Hazard | Consequence | Likelihood |
|---|---|---|
| Entrapment in rotating beaters, paddles, and agitators | Amputation, crush injuries, death | Possible |
| Flour dust generation during mixer charging | Baker's asthma, respiratory sensitisation | Likely |
| Electrical hazards from mixer motors and controls | Electrocution, burns | Unlikely |
| Manual handling of heavy mixer bowls and ingredients | Back injuries, muscle strains | Likely |
| Noise exposure from mixer operation | Noise-induced hearing loss | Possible |
| Burns from heated mixer components in cooking processes | Contact burns, scalds | Possible |
Worker killed in food processing equipment entrapment where machine guarding and isolation procedures were inadequate.
2025 — SafeWork NSW v Hilltop Meats Pty Ltd [2025]
Worker suffered serious injuries in an auger entrapment during equipment cleaning without adequate isolation.
2023 — SafeWork NSW v Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd [2023]
Our WHS consultants build machine-specific SWMS that address guarding, LOTO, and dust controls for your mixer operations.
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