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February 14, 2012

Safety procedures “existed on paper but ignored in practice”

A Glasgow-based company has been fined £133,000 for failing to rectify unsafe work practices prior to an incident where a worker suffered fatal head injuries on an unguarded lathe.

John Smith, 53, was working as a fitter at Railcare Ltd’s facility in Charles Street, Springburn, when the incident took place on 15 December 2008. There were no witnesses to the incident but it is thought that he was using a large lathe to clean the axle of a train, as colleagues had seen him carrying out this duty earlier in the day.

A length of emery cloth was found wrapped around the revolving chuck on the lather. It’s thought that Mr Smith had clamped the axle to the chuck inside the lathe, which spins at 600rpm, and wrapped the emery cloth around it, holding one end in each hand and pulling back to apply pressure. It’s further believed that either his gloves or his sleeve got caught in the chuck, which pulled him into the machine and he suffered fatal head injuries.

The HSE’s investigation found that the company had failed to carry out a detailed risk assessment, which would have highlighted the dangers of not having guarding around the chuck.

HSE inspector Lesley Hammond said that the method of work was inappropriate and should have been carried out by placing the axle on a stand and using a powered buffer to clean it. She said: “This is a tragic incident that need never have happened. Although lathes are common in workplaces throughout the country, they are potentially lethal. A chuck guard should always be in place and safe working practices should always be adhered to.
 
“In this case, supervision throughout the company failed to act on these matters. This contributed to a working environment which had safety procedures in place on paper, but permitted them to be disregarded in practice.”

Railcare appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on 8 February and pleaded guilty to breaching s2 of the HSWA 1974 and was fined £133,000.

In mitigation, the firm said it deeply regretted the incident and Mr Smith’s death had devastated the company and its employees. The lathe was immediately taken out of service and will be scrapped or sold now the case has been concluded. It admitted failing to identify that workers were using an unsafe method of work and it now ensures that the parts are cleaned with a buffer.

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