Shepherd Neame was fined £11,000 after employee loses finger in poorly guarded machine

Brewer Shepherd Neame was fined £11,000 (inc. costs) on 29 January 2015 after a 21 year-old agency worker lost a finger in an unprotected machine.

The circumstances were:

• Equipment was inside an enclosure mostly protected with interlocks and lightguards.
• However, there was one gate which had no such interlock.
• This gate had been only sporadically secured since it had been installed. 
• It had been seen to be open during an inspection by HSE in 2012, at which time the company agreed to lock and secure the gate as soon as the line became operational again following repair work. 
• However, the accident shows that this was not done.
• On 23 June 2014, an employee entered this fenced-off section with the machine still running.
• He was hosing down an area when he slipped.
• His left arm instinctively shot out as he tried to regain his balance, but his hand came into contact with one of the operating parts of the machine. 
• It immediately began to be drawn in by a sprocket at the end of a conveyor.
• Realising what was happening, he pulled his arm back but when he managed to free his hand, he realised he had lost the top part of his index finger and crushed his thumb and middle finger.
• As a result of the incident he needed a full amputation of the left finger and repairs to his thumb and middle finger. 
• He has been unable to return to work 

The HSE Inspector said:

“This was an entirely-preventable incident. Shepherd Neame was aware of the guarding requirements for such a machine, but neglected to make sure that these safety measures were fully and consistently implemented. Those failures led to an employee suffering a painful injury that has permanent consequences.  Shepherd Neame had received previous advice from HSE on the same issue, but didn’t act sufficiently robustly to prevent this type of incident happening. All employers have a duty to protect their staff from risks they face doing their work and, in this case, that means making sure running machinery is effectively guarded.”

2 companies fined a total of over £32,000 after employee was injured by unsafe use of a forklift truck

New Earth Solutions Group Ltd, was fined £15,241 (inc. costs) and NEAT Technology Group Ltd fined £17,241 (inc. costs) after an employee was injured during an unsafe operation using a forklift truck. Both companies are based at the same address in Verwood, Dorset.

The circumstances were:

• New Earth Solutions Group Ltd, which runs a mechanical biological treatment facility at Avonmouth, had commissioned an energy recovery facility next to the site.
• During the design, build and commissioning phases, the new facility was under the control of NEAT Technology Group Ltd. 
• Neither company assessed the risks associated with unblocking vacuum filters 
• Nor did they identify a safe system of work using appropriate equipment to unblock the machine. 
• Both companies also failed to sufficiently train and instruct workers to unblock the filters safely and did not monitor or supervise the process.
• An employee was tasked with helping empty ash, a by-product of the thermal treatment process, from steel barrels using a specialist vacuum machine.
• During the process, one of his colleagues used a fork lift truck to shake the vacuum to dislodge any remaining ash deposits from the filters.
• It came off the forks of the truck, overturned and struck the cleaner, trapping him underneath.
• He suffered a fractured back and two fractured ribs, and was unable to return to work for seven months.

The HSE Inspector said:

“This incident highlights the importance of effectively controlling the risks associated with all work processes. This did not occur in this case, and the consequences could have been far more serious. This incident could have easily been avoided and the injured cleaner would not have been injured had both companies planned this work properly and provided with appropriate training and supervision.”

Unguarded woodworking router causes loss of finger

North Quay Trading Limited, a Kent joinery firm was fined on 27 January after an employee lost the tip of his left middle finger on an unguarded piece of machinery.

The circumstances were:

• An overhead router had a guard, but it had been removed during a change in tooling and not refitted.
• This happened at least a couple of weeks before the accident.
• A worker was the router to manually machine a rebate along the edge of some door panels. 
• As he worked on his third or fourth panel his left hand slipped and came into contact with the cutting tool.
• This required a partial amputation of the injured digit.

The HSE Inspector commented:

“The worker suffered a painful injury and is now permanently disfigured as a result of an incident that was entirely preventable had the safety guard been in place. Guards are there for a reason and the onus was on North Quay Trading Limited to instigate routine checks to ensure they were fitted and working effectively at all times. A substantial number of the injuries reported to HSE involve workers coming into contact with dangerous moving parts, particularly in a manufacturing environment. The risks are clear and safety guidance is freely available covering guarding requirements.”

Belvoir Associates fined £24,500 after serious hand injuries due to makeshift vacuum extraction.

Belvoir Associates Ltd., a Rutland company which manufactures children’s bedroom furniture, was fined £24,449 (inc. costs) after a machine operator suffered serious hand injuries in a makeshift vacuum cleaner.

The circumstances were:

• The company had modified a portable dust extraction system using pipes and connections to secure a long flexible hose to the extractor’s inlet.
• The system regularly became blocked with wooden off-cuts.
• The company failed to assess what risks the machine posed to those using it. 
• No training or information had been provided to employees.
• The person who was subsequently injured was unaware of the location of any rotating fan blades.
• On 4 April 2013, the portable dust extraction system had been used to clean down both wood processing machinery and the floor. 
• Eventually, it became blocked.
• Three operatives attempted to unblock it using two tried and tested methods, including the removal of an end cap. 
• When these failed one of them put his left hand into the opening, where the flexible and solid pipes joined, to try clear the blockage, but his hand was drawn directly into the blades of the machine.
• He suffered multiple finger fractures and dislocations and required a number of operations. He has undergone physiotherapy but has lost 40 per cent of the use of his hand and is not expected to regain full use of his fingers.
• He was off work for ten months but has returned to Belvoir Associates albeit in a different role as he no longer has the manual dexterity to undertake physical work.

The HSE inspector said:

“This incident was foreseeable and preventable. As soon as the unit was converted, several significant risks resulted. It was, in effect, a Heath Robinson arrangement of domestic pipe fittings, flexible hoses and duct tape, none of which constituted the provision of fixed guards. The use of domestic pipe fittings created an obvious place for blockages to occur and using the machine to vacuum not only wood dust but also solid wood waste and off-cuts, as well as general debris from the floor, increased the risk of blockage considerably. Belvoir Associates failed to see any of the potential dangers arising from the new use of the unit because it neglected to properly judge the risks. It also failed to act once it became aware of the blockages in the machinery and instead left individual operators to unblock the unit resulting in the development of unsafe methods.”

Worker loses arm in circular saw which was still running down

Stagecraft Display Ltd, of Llandrindod Wells, was fined  £21,865 (inc. costs) after a woodworker had his right arm severed while clearing sawdust from underneath a circular saw.

The circumstances were:

• Although the machine was fitted with an interlock that stops power to the saw when the door to the saw well is opened, the saw took more than 30 seconds to stop completely.
• A self-employed machine maintenance engineer inspected the saw three months before the incident and told one of the company’s managers that it should be taken out of service or fitted with a brake which would stop the blade much sooner.
• On 23 February 2012, Brian Morris had finished sawing for the day and his last task was to clean the saw and saw well.
• He stopped the machine and opened the door of the well while the blade was still running down and was on one knee blowing air into the well to clear the dust. 
• At the same time a forklift truck drove into the factory and he turned his head to look.
• As he did so the moving blade caught the sleeve of his work jacket and cut his right arm. Although he managed to pull himself free, the arm was almost wholly severed.
• Mr Morris was taken to hospital, where he remained for a month, but doctors were unable to successfully reattach his arm and he underwent an amputation below the elbow.
• He was unable to return to work because of his injuries and has since died from an unrelated illness.

The HSE inspector said:

“This incident was entirely preventable. Saws cause the most injuries in the woodworking industry and power-operated circular saws are dangerous machines which have caused many serious incidents. Employees should not be able to gain access to dangerous parts of the machinery while they are moving and Stagecraft Display had a duty, as do all employers, to ensure that this cannot happen. Unfortunately in this case the saw had not finished rotating despite the fact that Mr Morris had switched it off and he then inadvertently came into contact with the moving blade, suffering a horrific injury.”

Crisp producer fined after worker lost part of finger in unguarded sprocket

Herefordshire crisp producer Tyrells was fined £13,000 (inc. costs) on 19 January 2015 after a worker lost part of a finger in the moving parts of a fryer.

The circumstances were:

• A chain and sprocket on a stirrer on a fryer was inadequately guarded.
• On 7 November 2012 an employee was cleaning the machine.7
• His finger caught in the nip point of the moving chain and sprocket.
• His middle finger on the left hand was severed just below the first joint.
• He was off work for two months but returned to work for the company. 
• A fixed guard was later fitted to the chain and sprocket.

The HSE Inspector said:

“The incident was entirely preventable. Tyrells Potato Crisps Ltd failed to ensure that moving parts capable of causing injury and within hand reach were adequately guarded.  Employers are required to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, or stop their movement before any part of a person enters a danger zone.”

Wye Valley Brewery fined £29,632 after worker was injured in a confined space

Wye Valley Brewery was fined £29,632 (inc. costs) on 20th January 2015 after a worker suffered a broken foot when it became trapped in a rotating stirrer.

The circumstances were:

• Wye Valley Brewery had advice about safe systems of work for confined spaces but ignored it.
• As a result there had been no risk assessments on entering confined spaces.
• There were no systems for controlling work in confined spaces or for isolating equipment.
• There was no emergency rescue procedure.
• On 20 February 2013 an employee entered a mash tun, which is a large steel vessel.
• The stirrer in this vessel was still running.
• His right foot became caught in the stirrer.
• He was rescued by colleagues and was off work for two days.
• He has since returned to work.

The HSE inspector said:

“Wye Valley Brewery had advice and information about devising safe systems of work for entry into confined spaces, but ignored it and failed to consider the risks to its employees. As a result, a man suffered a painful injury.  He was very fortunate that colleagues heard his cries for help and managed to rescue him in time.”