Man Severes Fingers While Working With Machine

A company in Huddersfield has been fined £7,500 over a work accident in which an employee suffered a serious hand injury. 

Shaw Pallet Ltd was prosecuted in relation to the case of a wood machine operator who tried to tape over two holes in a chute below a block saw when his fingers got caught and the ends of two of them were severed.

The unnamed man had to spend four days in hospital following the incident and also needed skin grafts in order to help the wounds to heal.

It was revealed in court that inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive had previously visited the site in 2006, when they served an improvement notice after observing there was inadequate protection in place to prevent access to the blades.

David Urpeth, national head of workplace injury at Irwin Mitchell’s Sheffield office, said: “We regularly see the terrible impact that industrial accidents can have on victims, often leaving them with devastating injuries.

“This case is of particular concern given the previous improvement notice served by the HSE.

“These kinds of cases highlight just why we continue to call for improvements in safety standards and urge employers to fully recognise the importance of the issue.

“Lessons need to be learnt from this and there is a clear need for reassurances that the same mistakes will not be made again.”