FAST-food worker Dylan Robeson has been paid just $500 in sick leave for horrific burns suffered when he slipped and fell into an open vat of cooking oil while working for Hungry Jack’s more than two years ago.

The burger giant has been fined $90,000 in the Industrial Magistrates Court over the accident.

Hungry Jack’s also will spend about $5.3 million altering oil filter systems in all its outlets to avoid a repeat of the horrifying ordeal.

It is cold comfort, however, for Mr Robeson, right, now 20, who slipped and fell into a vat of 135C cooking oil less than a month into his first job in June 2012 at the Castle Plaza Hungry Jack’s.

He received third degree burns to his entire forearm and across his torso, and speaking exclusively to The Advertiser yesterday said the most that was done for him was a duty manager turning the cold tap on for him to soak his melting arm. No one administered first aid. No one called an ambulance. And he was paid just $500 for the rostered shifts he missed during his three weeks in hospital to repair his mutilated arm.

Mr Robeson, who returned to work at Hungry Jack’s for one day only but had to leave because he had “anxiety attacks”, said his recovery took months.

The unemployed new father said he had not been made aware of the outcome of action taken by Safework SA against Hungry Jack’s and he is seeking compensation from the corporate giant for his injuries.

“For the pain I went through, I want more than the $90,000 they were fined for doing the wrong thing,’’ he said.

In a judgment published online, Magistrate Michael Ardlie said Mr Robeson suffered third degree burns to 10 per cent of his body at the Edwardstown outlet in June 2012.

“Mr Robeson was eventually taken to hospital by his father, who attended the store after being contacted by his son,” he said.

Mr Ardlie said the incident involving Mr Robeson was “almost identical” to the events of July 2003, when Hungry Jack’s had failed an earlier employee.

“That employee was left waiting in the back room of the restaurant until the mother of another worker attended to collect her son, and took it upon herself to take the injured employee to hospital,” he said.

Hungry Jack’s pleaded guilty to breaches of workplace safety laws in relation to the June 2012 incident involving Mr Robeson. In his judgment, Mr Ardlie said Mr Robeson was working the 10pm to 6am shift when, at 1am, he was asked to filter cooking oil from the deep fryers using a mobile filtration unit.

After successfully filtering two fryers, Mr Robeson slipped and fell into the open top of the mobile unit - then filled with hot oil - while cleaning a third. Oil temperature at that time was between 135C and 149C.

Mr Ardlie said it was fortunate Mr Robeson’s father took him to the Flinders Medical Centre quickly, sparing him the need for skin grafts.

“The first and immediate call ought to have been to an ambulance ... Hungry Jack’s cannot discharge its duty of care to the father of the employee,” he said.

“(Mr Robeson) was exposed to significant pain for upwards of half an hour longer than would have been the case if an ambulance had been called immediately.”

Mr Ardlie noted Hungry Jack’s had implemented training and safety policies since the 2003 incident but said they “may have fallen from focus over a period of time”.

He said the company also intended to phase out use of mobile filtration units.

Hungry Jack’s declined The Advertiser’s request for comment on the case.