A Bath-based manufacturer, Rotork UK Ltd, has been fined for safety failings after a worker was hit in the face by a chuck key, suffering serious head injuries.
Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard on 6 August that on the 31 January 2014, a 30-year-old worker was struck in the face by a chuck key at their site in Huthwaite. The chuck key was ejected from the lathe. There was no chuck guard fitted to the machine at the time of the incident.
The worker was left with a fractured right eye socket, damaged teeth and bruising to the brain that was fortunately not life threatening, although he was unable to return to work for 10 months and is unable to carry out physical sports or drive at night.
Rotork UK Ltd was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £1,741.12 in costs and a victim surcharge of £120 after pleading guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and section 33(1)(c) and 33(2) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
HSE inspector Robert Cox said: “Failing to identify appropriate guarding for machines can lead to serious accidents. There are well established standards which Rotork UK Ltd had failed to achieve.”
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