Bolton company fined £138,000 after arm was drawn into lathe

Bolton-based Jost (UK) Limited who manufactures vehicle components was fined £138,572 (inc.costs) after a worker was injured whilst using a lathe.

The circumstances were:

• Jost had not provided instructions to employees that prohibited application of emery cloth by hand to metalworking lathes. 
• The company had also failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
• There was no safe system of work in place.
• On 8June 2017, a 59-year-old worker was applying emery cloth by hand to a lathe to smooth down a shaft.
• The worker’s arm was caught and then pulled into the machine, sustaining serious arm injuries.

The HSE inspector said:
“This injury could have been easily prevented by identifying and implementing safe working practices when using this machine.”