Roofing Firm Prosecuted for Safety Breaches
A roofing and insulation firm has been fined after a worker injured his arm at Prospect Quarry in Matlock.
Incident
Self-employed Graeme Myers, 48, from Belper, was carrying out work on an auto-plant machine on 2 July 2014. Mr Myers leant over a fence attached the machine, which was still running, and he was struck by the pusher block of the auto-plant machine (a block used to move empty trays).
The block struck Mr Myer on the arm, leaving him with muscle loss. Immediate surgery was required to close the wound and as a result Mr Myers was unfit to work for around 3 months.
At Chesterfield Magistrates Court, it was concluded that the fence should have been higher in height in order to prevent access to the pusher block, as well as other various dangerous parts of the machine.
The court heard that IKO Plc had changed the location of the machine, but failed to recognise a change in floor levels. This change resulted in the height of the guard being reduced, thus giving access to dangerous parts of the machine.
Prosecution & Fines
After pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11 (1) of The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, IKO Plc of Appley Bridge, Wigan was fined £10,000. The firm was also ordered to pay £2,331.21 in costs and a victim surcharge of £120.
Health and Safety Executive Inspector Lyn Spooner said after the hearing:
“This was a very simple case where IKO Plc had overlooked the conditions of its new site in its risk assessment and as a result failed to identify the reduced height of the fence guard, allowing access to dangerous parts of the machine. It was an obvious risk, and as a result one their workers was seriously injured.
“Companies must prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery in order to prevent serious injury and in cases like this there are often simple measures that could and should have been taken to prevent the accident occurring ”
Injury at Work – Expert Advice
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Source: Health & Safety Executive
