Worksafe is making preliminary inquiries after a 25-year-old woman got her hand caught in a dough press in an Arrowtown restaurant yesterday morning.
St John South Island communications adviser Gerard Campbell said a Queenstown ambulance crew was called to Mickey Finn's Irish Bar, on Ramshaw Lane, at 9.25am.
Arrowtown Volunteer Fire Brigade officer in charge Murray Forward said when the fire crew arrived the woman's left hand was jammed in the press up to about her second knuckle.
He estimated it had been stuck for about 20 minutes.
''We had to pull it apart and get it out for her,'' Mr Forward said.
''The poor girl. We had to say 'Right, this is going to hurt. Hang on to whatever you need to hang on to, but the hand's coming out whether you like it or not'.
''She won't be using it for some time, I would think.''
Mr Forward said the woman was given a ''big dose of morphine'' at the scene by an ambulance crew.
Mr Campbell said she was transported to Lakes District Hospital in a ''moderate'' condition.
A police media spokeswoman said Queenstown police were advised of the incident, but the matter was referred to WorkSafe to investigate.
Mickey Finn's is part of the New Orleans Hotel complex.
A spokeswoman for New Orleans declined to comment when contacted yesterday.
