Part of finger lost in unguarded rolling mill

P&D Group Services Limited of Brierly Hill who make roller shutters has been fined on 23 April 2014 after an employee severed part of his finger in an unguarded machine.

The circumstances were:

• The employee was operating a rolling mill on 25 September 2013.
• Unsafe parts of the machine had been unguarded for some time.
• A problem occurred on the product and the employee felt the product as it approached the rollers.
• His glove was caught and his finger was pulled into the roller. 
• He suffered severe crush injuries and the top of his finger had to be amputated to below the first knuckle. 

The HSE Inspector said:

“This was not an isolated incident on a single day. Lack of guarding had persisted over a period of time meaning there was an inevitability of someone being injured at some point. This employee suffered a shocking and painful injury that was entirely preventable. It was P&D Group’s responsibility to ensure work equipment was safe and that dangerous moving parts were guarded. For some time the company required staff to approach the danger area around the rollers to set up and adjust the machine during production runs yet continuously failed to identify and address the matter of the missing guards. Preventing access to dangerous parts of machinery is a legal requirement and there is ample guidance and industry standards to allow dutyholders to achieve compliance with the law.”