Q fever warning for meat and livestock industry  

12 September 2007

A Geelong animal products processing company was last week fined after four workers at became infected with Q fever because they had not been immunised against the debilitating condition.

Galpac Australia Pty Ltd was fined $20,000 (without conviction) in the Geelong Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.The company processes sheep placentas which are used in cosmetics and as a health product.

Q fever is an acute illness where the infected person suffers from fever, chills, headache and muscle pains (similar to severe influenza) with the risk of on-going liver, heart, and chronic fatigue complications.

The Director of WorkSafe’s Manufacturing, Logistics and Agriculture program, Trevor Martin said anyone working with potentially infected animals or animal products should be immunised. 

Q fever typically occurs after the inhalation of contaminated airborne droplets or dust from placental tissues, birth fluids, or excreta from infected animals, or from direct contact with contaminated animals or materials.

Vaccination is a completely effective, low cost, and readily-available means of prevention.

WorkSafe told Geelong Magistrate Ron Saines that Galpac did not carry out a job safety analysis before beginning a trial of working with semi-thawed sheep placentas rather than frozen ones.

Cutting the semi-thawed placentas into their component parts exposed the workers to Q fever.

Although protective clothing such as disposable respirators were available to employes, the company did not enforce its use.

Q fever cannot be transmitted beyond the primary affected person and is not potentially deadly, but WorkSafe’s Trevor Martin said this case showed how changes to an established process required a fresh safety review.

“Changes to workplaces such as new processes, equipment or even personnel can introduce new risks.

“Identifying new or emerging hazards and dealing with them ensures quality of life is maintained and that significant business resources are not diverted into dealing with unnecessary legal issues.

 The charges:

Section 21 (2)(a) and section 21(2)(e) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1985.

Section.21(2)(a) refers to the duty of an employer to provide and maintain a safe workplace so far as is practicable for employees a working environment that is safe and without risks to health.

Section.21(2)(e) refers to the need for employers to provide information, instruction, training and supervision to employees so that employees can work in a  safe manner without risk to health.