Fencing Company in Court over worker injury

A Taunton-based fencing firm has been fined after one of its employees was injured at work.

On 18 January 2014 the employee was operating a large saw used to cut pieces of timber when one of his hands was trapped. The type of saw in use, known as a band re-saw, relies on a spiked wheel to feed wood onto its blade, and it is on this wheel that the fabric on the worker’s glove became caught.

The result was the employee’s arm being totally severed below the shoulder.

Taunton Crown Court found Weavo (Fencing) Products Limited, of Station Works, Hatch Beauchamp, Taunton guilty of an offence under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It fined the firm £50,000 as well as ordering £11,769 to be paid in legal costs.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Mehtaab Hamid said:

“This was an entirely avoidable incident, which resulted in a man suffering severe trauma and life-changing injury because of a number of failures by his employer.”

If you have suffered a serious accident at work, you could be entitled to compensation. Contact our expert personal injury team today on 0800 888 6 888 or email

Source: Health and Safety Executive