Staffs engineering firm fined for H&S breach
AN ENGINEERING firm from Burton on Trent has been fined £5,000 after a worker got his arm trapped in a drilling machine.
Briggs of Burton plc, of Derby Street, Burton-on-Trent, was ordered to pay the fine and £1,922 in costs at Burton-on-Trent Magistrates’ Court after admitting it breached Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The court heard the accident happened in March 2009 when the unnamed employee was using a pillar drill. He became trapped after the left arm of his overalls became entangled around the rotating drill and he was unable to reach the off-button. He suffered a broken finger and cuts to his arm.
He was freed after a colleague rushed over to turn off the machine and release him from it.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation later revealed there was no guard or emergency stop on the machine.
HSE Inspector Gail Pannell said: “The dangers of operating these drills without a guard have been well documented for many years. Installing a guard and providing an emergency stop control are two vital safety measures. Tthis company had done neither.
“The employee was very fortunate the drill wasn’t operating at a higher speed or his injuries could have been much worse. But they could have been prevented all together had the company complied with its legal obligation by having the necessary equipment installed.”
