Worker loses 4 fingers in saw

A Cumbrian manufacturer of wooden doors and window frames has been fined for safety failings after an employee's fingers were severed by a rotating saw.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred on a circular saw on 2 March 2011.
• There was no guard over the part of the machine where the wood came out from under the saw
• This meant it was possible to reach the saw blade while it was still rotating.
• The worker was feeding long pieces of wood through the machine.
• He then put a piece of wood into the machine's exit so it could be recalibrated for the next job when his right hand was struck by the blade, which was still rotating.
• He lost parts of all four fingers on his right hand 

The New West Port Corporation Ltd, which trades as West Port, was fined £16,000 (inc. costs).

The HSE Inspector said:

"It's a basic legal requirement that all industrial machinery is properly guarded to protect workers from dangerous moving parts. A moment's lapse of concentration led to one of West Port's employees losing parts of all four fingers on his right hand, but it should never have been possible for him to reach inside the machine while the blade was still rotating. The company has since installed a tunnel guard over the machine's exit. If this simple guard had been in place at the time of the incident then the worker's injuries could have been avoided."