Have any questions? Call us: Carter Capner Law monitors workplace accidents throughout Australia to spotlight safety issues of concern to our clients and to demonstrate those situations in which they may have a right to an insurance or compensation recovery. We act for workers and contractors throughout Australia. Call today on 1300 529 529 or click here to reach Carter Capner Law.
Introduction
Four years after a horrific workplace accident cost him part of his leg, Cootamundra man Dean Spencer is rebuilding his life while the abattoir where it happened has been fined $750,000 for failing to provide a safe work environment. The court called the company’s handling of Spencer’s recovery “heartless in the extreme.”
The Accident
In October 2021, Spencer was clearing a blockage in a screw conveyor chute at Hilltop Meats in Young, NSW, when a co-worker accidentally switched on the machine. His left leg became trapped and partially severed, while his right foot was also seriously injured.
Spencer recalled the chaos:
“I just remember panicking … I went to sleep at the abattoir and woke up at hospital without a leg.”
Rescuers worked for nearly an hour to free him from the machinery before he was airlifted to Canberra Hospital, where part of his leg was amputated.
Employer Conduct and Legal Proceedings
While still recovering in hospital, Spencer was contacted by his employer and summoned to a meeting. Arriving in a wheelchair with his wife, he was told to sign a written warning or risk losing his job.
Judge Wendy Strathdee later condemned the company’s actions, describing the demand as “offensive” and “heartless in the extreme.”
Hilltop Meats pleaded guilty to breaching the Work Health and Safety Act by failing to ensure safe working conditions and exposing workers to serious injury or death.
In September 2025, the company was fined $750,000. The court heard the guards protecting the conveyor had been removed for months to make blockages easier to clear and that workers often climbed onto the machine to dislodge meal buildup.
“It was a big bin,” Spencer said. “If I’d gotten through the door — luckily my leg blocked it — it would have probably been a fatality.”
Safety Failures and Systemic Issues
Prosecutors said Hilltop Meats had no formal safety procedure for clearing the conveyor and relied on a “verbal” process among workers. Spencer had never received training in the official method for unblocking the chute, which was not being followed on site.
In her sentencing remarks, Judge Strathdee said:
“The operation of the plant was clearly hazardous. The probability of risk was high.”
Following the accident, Hilltop Meats overhauled its safety systems — restoring conveyor guards, installing a knife gate to prevent meal buildup, and retraining staff.
Dean Spencer’s Recovery
After two months in hospital and years of rehabilitation, Spencer now walks with a prosthetic leg and has rebuilt his strength through CrossFit and weightlifting.
“No-one tells you how much more work you have to do just for your body to function,” he said.
The trauma, however, continues to shape his outlook.
“The limb was there for so many years … it’s still hard to comprehend what happened. But I’m not the type of person to quit. The show must go on.”
Company Response
During sentencing, Hilltop Meats’ defence counsel said the company had since implemented new safety protocols and “unreservedly apologised” to Spencer for his injuries.
Hilltop Meats did not provide comment to the ABC after the verdict.
Conclusion
Spencer’s story highlights both the devastating human toll of workplace accidents and the consequences of lax safety practices in industrial environments. While Hilltop Meats has since improved its safety systems, for Spencer, recovery remains an ongoing process — one defined by resilience, determination, and the refusal to let tragedy define his life.