Air Management & Design fined £13,300 after hand was drawn into bending machine

Engineering company Air Management & Design Ltd., was been fined £13,300 after an apprentice suffered serious hand injuries when he was drawn into machinery.

The circumstances were:

• On 3 March 2018, the apprentice was forming a piece of sheet metal into a radius using a three-roll bending machine.
• There was no safe system of work, adequate training or supervision.
• The risks of wearing gloves when operating moving machinery had not been realised.
• He was wearing gloves when his hand was drawn in by the in-running nip between two steel rollers. 
• As a result, the apprentice had two fingers severed and also suffered crush injuries to his right hand.

The HSE inspector said after the hearing:
“A young man’s life has been changed because his employer failed to ensure adequate training in and supervision of a safe system of work for the use of a powered three roll bending machine. This is a reminder to all companies to check that fully fingered gloves are not worn, and safe systems of work are in place and being followed for operation of dangerous machinery such as three-roll bending machines.”