Engineering Firm Fined for Health and Safety Negligence
An engineering firm from Rochdale has been fined £8,000 after a 21-year-old employee lost three fingers following an industrial saw accident. Adelaide Engineering Company Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching both the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the 1999 Safety at Work Regulations.
The firm had failed to provide any form of the training to the employee. The victim subsequently attempted to use the machine to cut a piece of steel when there was no adjustable guard present to prevent injuries from another exposed blade. That negligence led to the worker from Bury severely injuring his hand.
“It’s astonishing that an employee was left to work unsupervised on the saw, despite not having any previous experience or receiving any training on how to use it safely. As a result, he has lost parts of three fingers on his left hand and will have to live with the injury for the rest of his life,” Health and Safety Investigating Inspector, Laura Moran, revealed.
Adelaide Engineering Company Ltd was fined a six figure sum and told to pay prosecution costs amounting to £2,514 earlier this month for failing to ensure the appropriate safety measures were in place for employees and not assessing the risks posed to those using the machine.
“Engineering firms must treat the safety of workers as their top priority. It’s vital they properly assess the risks posed by machines to make sure employees aren’t put in danger,” Miss Moran concluded.
