Company fined GBP 14000 after worker's hand is fractured
June 5, 2009
ThysennKrupp Tallent, of County Durham, was fined a total of £14,000 and ordered to pay costs of £3776 at Stafford Magistrates' Court on 4th June, 2009 after the company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety legislation.
A 26-year-old employee was machining a small bracket for an automotive robot jig when his glove caught in the unguarded cutter, forcing his fingers to bend until they snapped. Fortunately a nearby colleague hit the emergency stop allowing the injured man to pull his hand from the glove that was left entangled in the rotating cutter.
The court heard that ThysennKrupp failed to ensure that effective measures were taken in order to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery such as that particular 'Bridgeport' milling machine, where the guards had been missing since purchase seven years previously. HSE's investigation also uncovered a 'Bohner Kohle Esslingen' vertical milling machine where the guards had been missing for at least two years and an 'Asquith' radial arm drill where the telescopic emergency trip probe had not been capable of use for some months.
Following its investigation into the incident that occurred, on 29th September, 2008, on the company's premises in Quadrant Point, Cannock, HSE brought three charges against the company under Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. One charge was brought for each of the machines that did not sufficiently safeguard employees. HSE also bought a single charge under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations for failing to undertake sufficient risk assessments relating to the engineering machinery in the tool room.
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A 26-year-old employee was machining a small bracket for an automotive robot jig when his glove caught in the unguarded cutter, forcing his fingers to bend until they snapped. Fortunately a nearby colleague hit the emergency stop allowing the injured man to pull his hand from the glove that was left entangled in the rotating cutter.
The court heard that ThysennKrupp failed to ensure that effective measures were taken in order to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery such as that particular 'Bridgeport' milling machine, where the guards had been missing since purchase seven years previously. HSE's investigation also uncovered a 'Bohner Kohle Esslingen' vertical milling machine where the guards had been missing for at least two years and an 'Asquith' radial arm drill where the telescopic emergency trip probe had not been capable of use for some months.
Following its investigation into the incident that occurred, on 29th September, 2008, on the company's premises in Quadrant Point, Cannock, HSE brought three charges against the company under Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. One charge was brought for each of the machines that did not sufficiently safeguard employees. HSE also bought a single charge under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations for failing to undertake sufficient risk assessments relating to the engineering machinery in the tool room.
Find out more about Risk Assessment
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