Agency worker seriously injures arm
March 5, 2010
An agency worker seriously injured his arm after it became trapped by a rotating drill.
Stafford Magistrates Court heard how agency employee Steven Jones, 28, was working at Romtech Ltd s Cannock site on 2 February 2009 when the incident occurred. Mr Jones was using a radial arm drill when his right hand glove became entangled in the rotating drill bit.
The Court heard how Mr Jones right arm was caught and dragged into the drill whcih broke both bones in his forearm and severely damaged his muscles. It was also heard how the emergency services had to cut free his clothing from the machine due to the extent the material had been drawn in.
Romtech Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The company was fined £20,000 for each of the two breaches and ordered to pay costs of £7,401.
HSE inspector Andrew Bowker said: "Mr Jones suffered a shocking fracture to his right arm and his injuries may have been much worse if he had not been able to use his left hand to hit the machineÃs stop button. The potential safety risks associated with entanglement on radial arm drilling machines have been well known for decades and control measures have been well documented in HSE guidance going back to the 1970s.
Inspector Bowker concluded: "It is not acceptable that this type of incident is still happening. Companies must invest sufficient time and effort in risk assessment to ensure their radial arm drills have suitable guards or trip devices in position. They must also ensure that staff are aware of the risks and that supervisors and managers monitor working procedures."
Find out more about Risk Assessment
Stafford Magistrates Court heard how agency employee Steven Jones, 28, was working at Romtech Ltd s Cannock site on 2 February 2009 when the incident occurred. Mr Jones was using a radial arm drill when his right hand glove became entangled in the rotating drill bit.
The Court heard how Mr Jones right arm was caught and dragged into the drill whcih broke both bones in his forearm and severely damaged his muscles. It was also heard how the emergency services had to cut free his clothing from the machine due to the extent the material had been drawn in.
Romtech Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The company was fined £20,000 for each of the two breaches and ordered to pay costs of £7,401.
HSE inspector Andrew Bowker said: "Mr Jones suffered a shocking fracture to his right arm and his injuries may have been much worse if he had not been able to use his left hand to hit the machineÃs stop button. The potential safety risks associated with entanglement on radial arm drilling machines have been well known for decades and control measures have been well documented in HSE guidance going back to the 1970s.
Inspector Bowker concluded: "It is not acceptable that this type of incident is still happening. Companies must invest sufficient time and effort in risk assessment to ensure their radial arm drills have suitable guards or trip devices in position. They must also ensure that staff are aware of the risks and that supervisors and managers monitor working procedures."
Find out more about Risk Assessment
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