A worker at an animal-feed manufacturer lost two fingers after his hand became trapped in an inadequately-guarded machine.
On 9 June 2009, a production foreman at Dugdale Nutrition Ltd was operating a chain and flight conveyor, which carries feed into one of two storage bins on the top floor of the factory, when it became jammed due to a blockage.
The 47-year-old worker, who was stationed in the control room, isolated the machine before leaving to inspect the blockage. He opened a blockage-slide metal plate underneath the conveyor to release grain that was obstructing the machine. He then returned to the control room to restart the machine but the conveyor was still blocked.
The worker asked a colleague to clear the jam, but the man went to the wrong conveyor. Seeing that his colleague had gone to the wrong machine, the foreman went to the blocked machine himself and emptied out more grain. While he was doing this, his colleague returned to the control room and restored power to the blocked conveyor, which activated the machine while the foreman’s left hand was inside the machine and it became trapped against the lip of the blockage slide. His hand was so badly crushed that he required two fingers to be amputated and was unable to return to work for several months owing to his injuries.
The HSE’s investigation found that the incident could have been avoided if the company had installed a guard underneath the slide so that workers couldn’t access the dangerous parts. It also learned that the injured worker had not used the isolator switch on the side of the machine, when it regained power, as it was three metres above the ground and difficult to reach.
The company was issued a Prohibition Notice requiring the machine to be taken out of operation until guards were installed. HSE inspector Matthew Tinsley said: “The injured worker should never have been put in a position where he was able to gain access to the chain and flight conveyor to clear a blockage while it was possible that the machine could be restarted.
“The company broke two health and safety laws by not providing a suitable guard and installing the isolator switch in an out-of-reach position. As a result, a worker has suffered a life-long injury.”
Dugdale Nutrition appeared at Accrington Magistrates’ Court on 26 October and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.11(1) and reg.19(1) of PUWER 1998, for failing to install suitable guards and not having an isolation switch within easy reach. It was fined £7000 for the first charge and given no additional penalty for the other breach. The company was also ordered to pay £3614 towards costs.
In mitigation, the firm said it had no previous convictions and had taken immediate action to comply with the Prohibition Notice. It has installed a mesh guard underneath the blockage slide so that workers can open the slide without accessing the dangerous parts of the machine. It has also moved the isolation switch to a more accessible height.
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