Manufacturer fined after industrial accident
A HEALTHCARE manufacturer has been fined after one of its employees at a Chorley factory lost part of a thumb when it became trapped in machinery.
Synergy Health (UK) Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found the guards on a machine were not sufficient, and the worker had not received adequate training.
Leyland Magistrates’ Court heard that the 39-year-old from Bamber Bridge near Preston had been working on a machine at the plant at the Matrix Park industrial estate in November 2011.
He reached into the tunnel leading out of the machine to stop it becoming blocked with wipes that had not been cut properly, and his left hand became caught in the slatted conveyor belt.
The worker lost the top of his thumb to the first knuckle when the conveyor belt forced it against a metal plate.
The court heard that the company had failed to carry out a proper risk assessment for the work, and so had not identified the risk of worker’s hands becoming trapped in the conveyor belt.
Synergy Health, Wiltshire, pleaded guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to prevent access to dangerous machine parts.
It was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,573.
HSE Inspector Christina Goddard said: “This incident could easily have been avoided if Synergy Health had carried out a proper assessment of the risks and made sure its employees were properly trained.
“The risk of workers hands becoming trapped by moving conveyor belts in well known in the industry and so it is important suitable guards are in place.”
