HSE says accident could have been prevented  

A London building firm has been fined £1,000 after an employee's hand was mangled in a workplace accident.

City of London Magistrates' Court heard that Rondeo Schoeman, of Tottenham, was using a machine to cut a wooden handrail for Maplestead Limited, of Orchard Gate, Greenford, Ealing, when his hand was pulled towards the blades.

The 32-year-old suffered severe damage to his hand, and spent a month in hospital recovering. He has since had three operations to transfer bones in his feet to the limb and to graft skin from other parts of his body.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that poor planning and inadequate supervision was to blame for the accident, which the watchdog said could have been prevented.

Maplestead Limited was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 in costs.

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David Urpeth from law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "This was a horrific work accident. The tragedy is that with sensible planning and adequate supervision, this accident at work, and the awful pain and suffering it has caused, could have been avoided. All too often, I have to help workers pursue their compensation claim following injuries sustained in a work accident."