Worker suffers serious injuries after being dragged into an unguarded machine

A manufacturer was ordered to pay over £40,000 for safety failings, after a worker was dragged into an unguarded machine.

The workplace accident

The worker had been working a nightshift at the company’s factory, when a conveyor belt became jammed. Maintenance workers removed the machine’s guards, as they were unable to fix the fault and this allowed the machine to continue operating. While trying to stop the belt rubbing, the injured worker was pulled into the machine and had to be cut free, suffering a broken arm.

As Health and Safety Executive Inspector Emily Osborne pointed out, the employee’s injuries could have been far worse and the company should not have allowed workers to be put at risk like this.

Manufacturing safety

While only 10% of British employees work in the manufacturing sector, the industry accounts for 25% of all workplace deaths. On average, 31 manufacturing workers die in workplace accidents each year, 4500 workers report major injuries and around 19,500 report less serious injuries.

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-nw-polyflor.htm

Worker injured after crane collapse

A drilling company has been fined $170,000 after pleading guilty to an incident in which a falling gantry crane injured one man and narrowly missed several others working on a desalination pipeline project.

The company pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to ensure the safety of workers, and was also ordered to pay $2787.52 in costs.

The incident occurred when the company was dismantling a specially designed gantry crane from a pipeline site. A director instructed workers to remove the pins on the portal legs of the crane before the gantry crane’s weight was supported by the mobile crane.

As the pins were being removed, the gantry crane collapsed. A worker on the crane rode it down and was thrown heavily to the ground.

The injured worker suffered shoulder, back, leg and other injuries. He has lost range of movement in one arm and continues to suffer pain as a result of the incident.

WorkSafe’s General Manager of Health and Safety Operations, Lisa Sturzenegger, said “This prosecution serves as a timely reminder that safety must always be a top priority on any work site. As we are getting into a busy time of year for many employers and employees, we want everyone to take extra care at work.”

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Source: http://www.worksafenews.com.au/news/item/280-company-fined-$170,000-over-crane-collapse.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

Construction worker survives lightning strike

One man was struck directly by lighting while another was knocked to the ground by the impact of the lightening strike at a construction worksite.

“Both the injured men were attended by paramedics at the scene and taken to South Hedland Medical Campus for further treatment” The company said in a statement.

“One has left hospital after being treated for a minor neck injury. The other man, aged 24, suffered burns to five percent of his body. He is well and stable and will remain in hospital for monitoring for the next two days.”

The two injured men were part of a five-man crew and were about to leave the work site after witnessing lightning in the area. An investigation into the incident is underway.

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Source: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/pilbara-worker-survives-lightning-strike-second-man-injured/story-fndo486p-1226506800721

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-

National fruit supplier sentenced after neglecting worker safety

A national fruit and vegetable wholesaler has been sentenced for safety failings after a worker lost the tip of her finger at a processing plant.

The 46 year-old worker was using a vegetable slicing machine when it became blocked. She pressed a stop button and opened a side panel to gain access to a conveyor that took vegetables to the cutting head. As she reached in to clear the blockage, the still-rotating cutting blade caught her right index finger and sliced off the tip to the base of her nail.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Jane Wolfenden said: "The company's failure to put an effective system in place to ensure machines had suitable protection devices and to give the workforce sufficient training put their workers at unnecessary risk. It was almost inevitable that injury would result. I hope that this prosecution results in the firm taking their responsibilities far more seriously in the future."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-ldn-17912.htm

Truck company fined over worker's life-changing injuries

A firm has been prosecuted after one of its employees suffered life-changing injuries when he fell from a stepladder while spray-painting a lorry.

The Health and Safety Executive investigation found that the same employee had fallen off a stepladder just one month before the incident, but no action had been taken to improve safety at the site.

The worker had been painting the lorry when one of the feet on the stepladder slipped down a grill in the concrete floor. He fell approximately two metres and shattered his left shoulder and collar bone, broke several ribs and received a deep cut to his head.

HSE Inspector Kim Tichias said: "The dangers of carrying out work at height are well known and the company should have provided secure working platforms rather than giving employees lightweight stepladders. If the firm had planned the work properly and made changes following the previous incident, then the worker's injuries could have been avoided."

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Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/rnn-e-98.htm

Stone company fined after worker crushed to death

A Perth company has been fined $60,000 after one of its workers was crushed by a 217kg stone slab.

D'Amelio Stone, which imports and processes stone, and its director Nicola D'Amelio were handed the penalty after pleading guilty in the Perth Magistrates Court to failing to provide a safe working environment.

The charges arose from the death of the 43-year-old worker at the company's Wangara premises in March 2007. 

The man and a co-worker were trying to move the slab from a storage shed to a workshop with the help of a forklift when the accident happened.

The man held the slab vertically while his co-worker removed a slab behind it. It was usual practice at D'Amelio for workers to manually tilt the slabs while they were clamped and lifted by forklift.

However the slab fell towards the worker holding it, crushing him between it and other slabs in a rack behind him.

WorkSafe acting executive director John Innes said "it could not reasonably be considered" that D'Amelio engaged in safe work practices by having workers hold a 217kg slab upright manually.

The company later changed its work practices, but was aware of the way the slabs were moved and did nothing "until it was too late", Mr Innes said.

March 9, 2009

Source: http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/stone-company-fined-after-worker-crushed-to-death-20090309-8sw7.html

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