Electrical retailer Dixons Retail Ltd has been found guilty of safety breaches after a wire clip became lodged in one of its worker’s eyes as he loaded a lorry.
The firm, which formerly traded as DSG Retail Ltd, is the parent company for Dixons, Currys and PC World in the UK. The incident took place at its Newark distribution centre in Nottinghamshire on 1 February 2010.
During a three-day trial, Nottinghamshire Magistrates’ Court heard that warehouse operative Krzysztof Ignacek, 37, was loading a curtain-sided trailer at the depot. To complete this task, he needed to remove a metal seal from the curtain rail, which is used to stop thefts. But as he tried to prise off the seal it broke, causing a 3cm coiled wire to fly out and lodge in his left eye. The wire penetrated his eye’s cornea and destroyed the lens. He required surgery to insert an artificial lens and was unable to return to work for more than six months, owing to his injuries.
Newark and Sherwood District Council investigated the incident alongside a specialist HSE inspector. The investigation identified that the company had failed to carry out a sufficient risk assessment about the dangers of removing the seal, known as a Globe Seal, and did not train Mr Ignacek how to safely carry out the work.
The investigation revealed that neither the seal’s supplier, Universeal UK Ltd, nor the manufacturer, US-based Dickey Manufacturing Company, had provided any information as to how the Globe Seal should be safely removed. Consequently, staff would bend the tin-plated steel seal backwards and forwards until it snapped, or use a length of metal or wood, or a screwdriver to act as a lever to break the seal. Mr Ignacek told inspectors that he had seen his supervisors breaking the seal with their bare hands, so he decided to follow the same method to remove it.
The HSE inspector contacted the manufacturer, which recommended that the seal should be removed by cutting it with tin snips, or industrial scissors. The inspector also noted that gloves should have been made available, at all times, for workers to wear when removing the seals.
Dixons Retail Ltd was found guilty of breaching s2(1) of the HSWA 1974 and reg.3(1)(a) of the MHSWR 1999. It was sentenced on 10 April and was fined £15,000 for each offence and ordered to pay £46,502 in costs.
In mitigation, the company said it had no previous convictions and it carried out a fresh risk assessment immediately following the incident. It has subsequently provided tin snips to remove the seal, and also ensures that workers wear gloves. It also said it has hired additional staff to expand its safety team.
After the hearing, Newark and Sherwood District Council’s business manager for environmental health, Alan Batty, said: “This accident investigation has highlighted that although only one known injury associated with the removal of the seals has occurred, the injury was a serious one and there is a potential for further injuries to occur, unless suitable actions are taken to ensure that the Globe Seal is safely removed.
“It’s recommended that employers who use Globe Seals carry out a suitable risk assessment and bring to the attention of their employees a safe method of removal.”
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These seals contain a spring inside the globe end of the seal, and the other end of the seal has a hole into which the sprung wire locates as the seal is closed.
The spring is at all times inside the globe, and there’s no way the psring can escape unless the seal is forced (in which case the end of the seal could drag out the spring I suppose). So no eye protection required with snips IMHO. The snipped ends of the seal will likely be sharp, and that’ll be what the gloves are for.
The snips cut the seal, which is just a bit of alloy strip with a serial number embossed on it, it’s not under tension and the snips don’t go near the spring. So long as the globe isn’t damaged the spring is safely encapsulated.
If the maufacturer was aware of the risk and knew that tin snips were to be used, why was this information not supplied with the product?
If the seal needs tin snips surely eye protection is required?
I would have thought that these clips would be on or about head height at some time when snipped?
Are gloves to aid grip or prevent cuts, does the gloved hand need to be cover the clip?
I know not, it`s not my area of industrial knowledge, just thinking out load.
Please advise if able too?
So the snips cut through the spring reducing the tension, hence no flying steel or wire?
Does the word “could” not imply a possible risk?
What happens if the snips do not cut right through, can the tensioned spring not kick out?
Cheers for that explanation Andy. Better informed now.
Regards Bob K.