A metal fabrications company has admitted failing to carry out regular inspections on a faulty hydraulic press brake, which severed a worker’s arm.
Halifax Magistrates’ court heard that Jamie Raynor had offered to help out on a Saturday at RDB Fabrication and Engineering Ltd’s factory, when the incident took place on 10 October 2009. He was not employed by the company but had agreed to work at the factory for the day as he was a friend of the company’s managing director.
He volunteered to operate a hydraulic press brake, which was being used to turn sheet metal into U-shaped bends. He had no previous experience of using the machine and was only given ten minutes training. As he fed the metal into the press, he reached inside to reposition the part, and his left hand was severed by the moving parts of the machine. Surgeons were able to reattach his hand but he now has limited movement in it and has been unable to return to work owing to his injuries.
The HSE’s investigation found that the press was fitted with an electronic motion guard to stop the machine moving if part of a person entered the danger zone. However, when Mr Raynor reached into the machine it had failed to operate. The investigation also found that the company had failed in its duty to carry out regular inspections on the machine since it took over the business in 2007.
The HSE subsequently issued a Prohibition Notice requiring the machine to be taken out of service until it had been inspected and the faulty sensor was repaired. HSE inspector, Paul Newton, said: “A young man has had his life changed forever by a terrible, avoidable accident.
“The dangers of working with press brakes are well known in the industry and there have been many instances of workers being seriously injured. That’s why these machines are fitted with guards to prevent access to the danger zone. In this case, the company’s failure to ensure these guards were effective had tragic consequences.
“Contact with moving machinery is one of the main causes of fatal injuries to workers and the third highest cause of major injuries. I hope this serves as a reminder to employers of the importance of safeguarding their employees.”
RDB Fabrication and Engineering appeared in court on 6 April and pleaded guilty to breaching reg. 11(1) of PUWER 1998. It was fined £12,000 and £2000 in costs.
In mitigation, the firm said it had no previous convictions and it immediately took the press out of service following the incident. The company subsequently moved premises and it decided not to install the machine at the new site. It has also invested in a new database that gives notice when machin
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