Employers 'have a duty' to make sure machinery is guarded

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has called on firms to make sure that they have thorough safety precautions to ensure all machinery is properly guarded and workers are not exposed to dangerous moving parts.

The warning comes as an engineering company was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £47,400 after a sub-contractor was killed during a drilling project.

Edeco Petroleum Services, based in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, pleaded guilty to two offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act at Hull Crown Court.

Neil Millar, a 36 year-old from Aberdeen, died as a result of asphyxiation in August 2005 when he became trapped by a specialist lifting arm at Aldbrough Gas Storage facility in East Yorkshire.

HSE Inspector John Rowe said: "This was an horrific incident which resulted from the company's failure to guard the machine and prevent the worker from getting into a position where he was in danger."

Following academic research into the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 last year, the UK's Health and Safety Commission resolved to bring more bosses to task for risking workers' health and safety.

Professors from Warwick University had concluded that more company directors faced disqualification for financial reasons than for health and safety breaches.