Nylcast fined £303,000 after an ejected rod killed an employee.

Nylacast Limited, who manufacture plastic products has been fined £303,205 (inc.costs) after the death of an employee.

The circumstances were:

• The company failed to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the long length rod machine in order to ensure that all foreseeable hazards had been identified.
• On 15 April 2016, an employee was in the process of removing a cast plastic rod from a casting machine.
• The rod was secured in the machine by a pressurised piston which should have been depressurised before attempting to remove the rod. It was not.
• As he started to remove the rod, the metal retaining end cap and plastic rod were forcibly ejected.
• The rod, travelling at an estimated 81 mph hit him in the chest.
• He died the following day

The HSE inspector said
“Those in control of work equipment have a responsibility to undertake a suitably robust assessment in order to ensure that all foreseeable hazards have been identified. Had this hazard been identified, suitable engineering controls could have been devised and implemented to minimise the risk, therefore this death could have been prevented.”