A worker at a paper factory suffered serious injuries when his arm became trapped in moving machinery.
The 54-year-old man had been employed as a coaterman at the Stoneywood Paper Mill for 17 years. On 15 October 2010, he was operating a paper-coating machine, which applies separate coating to paper after sheets have been formed.
He began cleaning rolls at the coating-head section of the machine, as excess mix was starting to accumulate on the rolls. The machine was operating at its normal production speed of around 300 metres per minute, while he was standing on a beam on the back of the machine frame to access the rolls.
He was using a sponge pad and cloth to clean the paper, a method he had used on previous occasions, when his hand was pulled into an in-running nip formed between the lap roll and the camber roll.
The worker managed to free himself after a few seconds but suffered a fracture to his left arm, which required surgery to insert two metal plates. He still doesn’t have full movement in his arm but has been able to return to work on light duties.
HSE inspector John Radcliffe told SHP the management appeared to be completely unaware that workers had adopted unsafe methods of cleaning the rolls. He said: “Although the company had established a safe system of work for cleaning the rolls of the paper machine some time ago, this had clearly deteriorated over time and there was a failure in management supervision.
“As a result, the very unsafe practice of cleaning rolls at full production speed by some employees was not detected, and this was allowed to continue for several years until the incident occurred.”
Arjo Wiggins Fine Papers Ltd appeared at Stonehaven Sheriff Court on 13 March and pleaded guilty to breaching s2(2)(c) of the HSWA 1974 and was fined £75,000. No costs were awarded as the case was heard in Scotland.
The company accepted it should have better supervised its workers. It has now increased the frequency at which managers walk the factory floor to monitor methods of work.
It also said it has given further instructions on how to carry out the work safely. This involves workers being positioned at the front of the machine and using a long pole with a scraper attachment to clean the paper, while the machine is running at a reduced speed of 80 metres per minute.
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