Finger loss firm fined £18,000Plastics firm A. Schulman Ltd has been fined £18,000 over an incident in which an employee lost part of three fingers on a bagging machine.
The worker was injured while cleaning a probe of the machine, which had been left unguarded. At the time of the incident last October, the company had no systems in place regarding the cleaning and maintenance of the equipment.
The firm, based at Croespenmaen Industrial Estate, pleaded guilty to three breaches of health and safety regulations. As well as the fine, it was also ordered to pay £3,827 in costs at Abertillery Magistrates' Court.
Mike Batt, an HSE inspector, said an investigation showed employees were not aware of the risks, and there was no guarding of the machine to prevent access to dangerous areas.
He added: "There was also no clear procedure for cleaning and maintaining the machinery which meant that when operators attempted to clean the probe, they were running the risk of serious injury."
The HSE urged all companies to ensure safety procedures are in place surrounding the use of dangerous machinery.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
| 
