Near-miss hand injury leads to fine

An employee of Richard Burbridge Ltd almost lost a finger after his hand came into contact with a wood plane.

Kidderminster Magistrates Court heard how the employee came into contact with the rotating rear cutters of the machine used to plane wood on 30 July 2008. The machine fractured the employees thumb from the top to the first joint and severed both tendons while also cutting his middle finger.

An investigation carried out by the Health and Safety Executive discovered that the cutters were partially exposed because a guard had not beenn fitted to the machine and the machine took almost half a minute to stop.

Richard Burbridge Ld pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,842.

HSE inspector Grayam Barnes said: "This employee was extremely lucky not to lose a finger or a hand. Richard Burbidge Ltd should have ensured this piece of equipment, with sharp, fast-moving parts, had safety guards in place.

Inspector Barnes concluded: "Other issues were also identified with the machinery. The rundown time, where it slows down to a stop, was far too long at nearly half a minute, making it difficult to stop it in an emergency."

Find out more about Risk Assessment