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A manufacturing company has been fined more than £66,000 following an accident involving unguarded machinery. An employee lost portions of two fingers after getting his hand caught in a machine used to produce face masks. The worker attempted to fix the mechanism after noticing the material was not correctly feeding into it. With the machine still running, his hand was caught and most of his little finger and ring finger were ripped off.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that his employer failed to provide suitable guarding around its machines. The company also failed to undertake a risk assessment before the machines were used.
Reduce machine-related hazards at your builders merchant
- Keep machinery fit for purpose with a routine maintenance schedule and stringent pre-use checks.
- Train staff on machinery use and supplement their knowledge with regular refresher training.
- Include machinery and guards in your risk assessment process.
- Make it clear that removing or overriding guards is strictly forbidden.
- Display safety signage to alert workers to machinery hazards.
- Ensure staff know how to use emergency stop controls.
- Train workers on what to do in the event of an accident.
Last updated
April 6, 2023
Opus Safety
Health & safety insights
Guidance, updates and practical advice for your sector.
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