Legal News
£8,000 penalty after worker loses fingers in machinery (4 April 2017)
Date: 04/04/2017
A construction company has been prosecuted after a worker lost his middle and index finger on one hand while using a screwdriver to scrape asphalt residue from a mixer.
Coldmac Limited had been appointed specialist contractors for a new footway when, on 8 April 2015, a worker was using a screwdriver when the screwdriver slipped. The worker’s hand caught on the lip of the mixer, causing him to lose his middle and index fingers.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the guarding on the mixing machine was below the safety standard required in order for people to safely operate the machinery.
At Nuneaton Magistrates’ Court in Warwickshire, Coldmac Limited of Midland Road, Scunthorpe in north Lincolnshire pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,995.92.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Luke Messenger said:
“This case highlights the importance of safety checking equipment and machinery, ensuring that they have the appropriate guarding in place to avoid serious injuries like this.”
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