Hose manufacturer fined after inexperienced employee was caught in unguarded machinery

Wirral-based Novaflex Ltd., that manufactures composite hose products was fined £29,000 (inc.costs) after an inexperienced agency worker was injured when he was pulled into a spinning lathe, sustaining open fractures to his right arm.

The circumstances were:

• The accident occurred between a pitch wheel and mandrel on a lathe.
• The lathe had been modified which made operators work closer to the entrapment hazard.
• The company had not identified the risk of entrapment or the necessary controls required to avoid it.
• As a result, Novaflex had failed to effectively prevent access to dangerous parts of the machinery.
• They also failed to provide a safe system of work for the task 
• They had not provided adequate instruction and training to ensure its workers were competent to operate the machinery.
• On 20 November 2018, a worker at Novaflex Ltd was operating the lathe when the sleeve of his sweatshirt caught between a pitch wheel and rotating mandrel, pulling his arm into the machine. 
• This resulted in an open fracture of the ulna (long bone found in the forearm) and the radial shaft of his right arm, leaving it permanently weak, making day-to-day tasks difficult and stressful. He also suffered severe bruising to his body and skin abrasions.

The HSE inspector said:
“Those in control of a workplace have a responsibility to identify and devise safe methods of working and to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to their workers.”