Engineering company fined after an employee's foot was crushed by a machine

An engineering company was ordered to pay over £11,000 after an employee’s foot was crushed by a poorly-guarded machine.

The incident

The employee was operating a machine when his foot was crushed and trapped by the machine’s ram. He had to be freed by colleagues who were able to support him and release his foot. He had to have his right foot amputated, following the incident, and he also sustained fractures to his remaining toes and cut his head.

The Health and Safety Executive investigation

A Health and Safety Executive investigation revealed that if the machine had been better guarded, the incident would not have happened.

HSE inspector Alec Ryan said:
"This incident was wholly preventable and could have been avoided had the company carried out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and taken the necessary measures to make the machine safe.

"The machine in question was very powerful and it is wrong that a worker was put at unnecessary risk because safety devices weren't working.

"Incidents of this kind are all too common and it is vital employers prevent access or exposure to dangerous moving parts at all times."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-se-05713.htm

Employee pinned to the ground in workplace safety accident

A female worker was injured in a workplace accident when a lifting device fell from the back of a truck and onto her.

The incident 


The incident occurred when a driver was transporting goods to a customer’s premises. An employee of the customer was using a lifting device under the driver’s instructions, when an object began to roll backwards off the truck and pinned the employee to the ground. The employee suffered serious injuries including broken ribs, a fractured skull and spinal injuries.

The court heard that the driver had not received training in the use of the lifting device. The company was fined $60,000 and ordered to pay costs of $7673. Worksafe WA Commissioner Lex McCulloch said that this case should remind companies how important it is to train employees on safe machine operation.

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Source: Safe to Work

Firm fined £60,000 after an employee's hair was ripped out by machinery

A company has been fined £60,000 after a young worker was severely injured when her hair was ripped out by poorly guarded machinery.

The 25-year-old was sorting clothes hangers on a conveyor when her scarf and hair became caught in the chain and sprocket drive of the belt as she bent over to remove accumulated hangers.

She sustained serious throat injuries, lost a substantial part of her hair and fractured a finger in the incident.

The firm had fitted a guard to the conveyor but it did not fully enclose the dangerous moving parts. There was no emergency stop button on the conveyor and the company's risk assessment failed to identify the dangers of entanglement in conveyors.

The company was fined £60,000 and ordered to pay costs of £21,668.

HSE Inspector David Wynne said: "Employers must ensure that workers are properly monitored, supervised and trained when working with this sort of equipment."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-w-mainetti.htm

Worker's serious injuries lead to £7,000 fine for labels company

A labels company has been fined for a safety breach after a worker sustained a serious hand injury when it was caught between two contra rotating rollers on a working machine.

The employee severed the first finger of his right hand to the second knuckle and broke his middle finger in the incident.

He was attempting to clean a coating roller on a finishing machine, and had removed the roller several times to make adjustments and clean away dried on primer. He then tried to brush off the dried primer from the roller while it was in situ on the working machine, but his right hand was caught and pulled between two rollers.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive established that the machine was missing suitable guarding, and had been for some time. Had a guard been fitted the incident would have been avoided.

The company was fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £5,637 in costs after pleading guilty.

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-se-00313.htm?eban=rss-

Food manufacturer fined after worker loses tip of finger in poorly guarded machine

A food manufacturer has appeared in court for safety offences after one of its workers lost the tip of her finger while trying to clear a blockage in a badly-guarded machine.

The worker was in the production area while a mobile screw conveyor was being used to fill a packing machine, known to block regularly.

HSE found that the fixed guard over the top of the hopper, which prevented workers getting access to the dangerous screw part, had been modified. Instead of being fixed at all four corners, it was fixed at only two, allowing it to be lifted while the machine was running.

The worker attempted to clear a blockage while the machine was operating and her hand slipped, hitting the screw mechanism.

The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,506.

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-yh-713.htm

Electrical and machine guarding hazards lead to OSHA inspection and citation

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited a building materials company with 7 serious violations for exposing workers to electrical and machine guarding hazards, with proposed penalties of $41,000.

OSHA conducted a safety inspection in response to a complaint about unsafe working conditions and machine hazards. They discovered workers building prefabricated wood trusses without the required machine guarding.

"The lack of machine guarding can lead to serious injuries, including amputations," said Casey Perkins, OSHA's area director in Austin. "OSHA's standards must be followed to prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses."

The serious violations include failing to provide machine guarding while operating saws, ensure that rotating shafts on machines are covered, ensure that electrical wiring is protected and ensure electrical cords are maintained in safe condition.

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Source: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23481

Machine safety - The focus of WorkSafe's latest campaign

An image of a man with his hand trapped in a mincer has gone up on billboards around Victoria, as part of the latest stage in a major campaign by WorkSafe to warn employers and employees of the risk associated with dangerous machines.

According to the latest WorkSafe statistics, in Victoria:
* 6 workers are maimed every day
* 7 workers suffer an amputation every month
* 11 workers suffer a laceration every week

In the last 5 years, almost 11,000 workers have suffered injuries such as amputations and lacerations caused by dangerous machines, leading to a $220 million bill for medical treatment, rehabilitation and income support. Of the 11,000 injuries, 71% occurred in manufacturing, construction, transport, warehousing and storage industries.

“If a machine is used to mix, move or stamp, then it can cut, crush or amputate,” WorkSafe’s Health and Safety Operations General Manager, Lisa Sturzenegger said.

Over the next year, WorkSafe inspectors will be upping the ante on employers to control dangerous machines by ensuring they are properly guarded, have emergency controls in place and train and supervise their workers properly.

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Source: http://www.worksafenews.com.au/news/item/279-don-t-mince-around-with-machines.html

Food processing company fined after worker's finger amputated

A food processing company has been fined $10,000 over an incident which led to the amputation of a worker’s finger.

The worker was operating a mincing machine that had a hopper at the top where meat was fed to be minced. He started the machine and climbed onto a stepladder to check the amount of meat going down the hopper. Upon noticing that the meat was only going half way down he pushed the meat down using his hand. His finger got stuck in the mincing area and was injured, requiring amputation.

WorkSafe Acting Director Ian Munns said the case was a disappointing example of an employer’s failure to provide workers with sufficient protection from moving parts of machinery.

“Subsequent to this incident, the employer installed a safe system of work for this mincer that cost less than $3000 – far less than the total $11,548 the company ended up paying in a fine and costs.

“Many workers have been seriously injured when machinery they were working on has been activated. Guarding of the dangerous moving parts of machinery is such a basic and easy precaution to take, and it’s disappointing that we continue to see cases where these simple measures are not taken.”

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Source: Safety Culture - OHS news

Worker loses 2 fingers in vegetable slicer

A company has been ordered to pay more than $50,000 after an employee had two fingers chopped off in a vegetable slicer.

The company was found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a safe workplace and, by that failure, causing the employee serious harm. The company was fined $40,000 and ordered to pay $12,000 in costs.

The business produced ready-made salads for supply to supermarkets and contained several machines to cut and slice the produce, one of which was a belt slicer. An employee was operating the machine and wanted to clear some vegetable matter from the chamber.

He hit the emergency stop button and put his hand into the chamber, not knowing that the emergency stop button and interlock were not functioning because of a fault in the electrical relay.

The blades were still spinning when he put his hand in and two of his fingers were amputated to the middle knuckle.

WorkSafe acting executive director Ian Munns said the case illustrated how important it was to have lock-out and tagging procedures at workplaces with machinery. "It's never safe to leave any piece of machinery operational while doing repairs or performing maintenance" he said.

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Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2012/11/01/20/20/40-000-fine-for-finger-slice-accident

International paper manufacturer fined £200,000 after worker’s death

An international paper manufacturer has been ordered to pay £260,000 in fines and costs for serious safety failings after a mill worker was crushed between two large rollers running at full production speed.

There had been significant production problems with paper breaks and waste material affecting the process. The 45-year-old worker gained access to the large rollers by opening an unlocked gate, & used a long-handled tool to clear waste material. The rollers were running at 131 metres a minute. He was drawn into the rollers and suffered severe crush injuries.

HSE found significant failings by the company in guarding the rollers and in training given to workers. The company was fined £200,000.

His widow said: "Words cannot describe the gap left in our lives by his death. Today's court decision can never bring him back but does give us a sense of justice.”

HSE Inspector, Jo Fitzgerald, said: "Fast moving machinery is a well-known hazard and must be properly guarded. Managers must take an honest look at how things are done and involve their workforce in identifying problems and improvements."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-sw-arjowiggins.htm?eban=rss-

Company fined for exposing workers to amputation hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited an auto parts supplier with 13 safety violations at the company's auto parts manufacturing facility. The violations include a lack of machine guarding and allowing workers to perform maintenance on machinery without first isolating the equipment's energy source. Proposed fines total $51,000.

"OSHA is committed to protecting workers, especially when employers fail to do so" said Bill Wilkerson, OSHA's area director.

Twelve serious violations involve a lack of guarding for the points of operation on automated mechanical forging presses, not having machine-specific lockout/tagout procedures, a damaged metal guard on a conveyor, inadequate strain relief and insulation for electrical cords, a lack of periodic inspections, unguarded floor openings, failing to train workers, and failing to lock out the energy sources of machinery during servicing and maintenance.

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Source: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=23142

Manufacturing company prosecuted after worker's arm severed by conveyor

An animal feed manufacturer has been fined after a worker lost his arm when it became entangled in a conveyor. The 35-year-old was attempting to clear a blockage on a conveyor when his right arm became entangled and was severed just below the elbow.

The company had failed to provide a safe system of work for production staff to clear blockages on conveyors and there were no guards to prevent access to the unblocking hatch. The company was fined a total of £20,000 and £9,716 costs.

HSE Inspector Steven Gill, said: "This incident could have been prevented had there been appropriate guarding in place. This type of injury is not uncommon in the manufacturing industry."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-e-99.htm?eban=rss-