Firm Fined by HSE over Safety Breaches

A Manchester based soft furnishings firm has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following two incidents in which workers were injured due to inadequately guarded machinery.

Incident 1: January 2015

The first incident took place in January 2015. Trafford Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee was clearing a blockage on a Moden Blow Filing machine with his right hand when his hand came into contact with a rotating fan blade. As a result of this contact, two of the worker’s fingers required amputation.

The court heard that the pipework of the machine was removed easily without the use of tools, leading to the dangerous parts of the machine being left easily accessible.

Incident 2: May 2015

In the second incident, an employee was using a Mattress Roll Packing machine when he trapped his left hand between two easily accessible rollers. The employee required surgery after his fingers were crushed as a result of the incident in May 2015.

The court heard that the machine in question had been purchased directly from China and as a result had not been manufactured in keeping with European safety requirements. The machine had not been CE marked and was unsafe.

Lisa Bailey, HSE Inspector, said:

“Had the company carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the machinery and then taken measures to prevent access to dangerous parts, then these two incidents could have been avoided. Mr Boomer should have ensured that the Mattress Roll Packing machine was CE Marked.”

Prosecution & Fines

Paul Boomer, trading as Carousel of Castle Industrial Estate, Beresford Street, Failsworth, Manchester, pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and a breach of Section 7 of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008. Boomer was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.

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Source: Health & Safety Executive