Company fined for health and safety failings

A mans employer has been prosecuted after he damaged his hand in the blades of an extractor fan - 28th May 2009

 

A 34-year-old man suffered serious hand injuries at work whilst attempting to clear an extractor fan blockage.

This workplace accident happened as the man was investigating a possible blockage in a dust extractor unit which forms part of a metal recycling process.

The man had removed a dust collection bag and was reaching up with his arm towards the exit opening of the rotary valve in the extraction unit when he suffered his workplace injuries, they happened when his hand was in contact with the rotating blades of the fan causing it to be badly damaged.

Ian Williamson the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigating inspector said: "Being able to easily access moving parts of the machine represented an obvious danger which meant that it was reasonably foreseeable that an injury could occur whilst reaching into the opening. The machine had been in operation for 10-15 years yet it had evidently not been subjected to a suitable risk assessment because it had not been engineered in any way to protect operatives.

"It is important for companies to ensure that they have fully considered all the risks their employees may face when using any equipment and the injuries could have been much worse."

The HSE prosecuted his employer, JBM International Ltd of Hixon, who pleaded guilty to two breaches of health and safety legislation at Newcastle-Under-Lyme Magistrates Court and were fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £2,614 in costs.