12 January 2017

North West Packaging Company Fined £125k

Recently a packaging company which is not a BPIF member was fined £125k after a member of staff had his thumb severed due to the company’s failure to take adequate measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

The court heard the worker reached through an unguarded section in the frame of one of the machines to clean ink from a roller.

The rag he was using got caught in one of the motorised cogs, causing his hand to be pulled into the rotating cogs. His left thumb was severed, resulting in him receiving skin grafts in hospital and being unable to work for 15 weeks.

Although the company had partially guarded the rollers and cogs of the machine with an interlocked guard, it failed to take adequate measures to prevent access to all dangerous parts of machinery.

The HSE investigation found the company’s risk assessment had been written nine years earlier by an employee untrained in creating risk assessments. The assessment did not identify risks related to unguarded machinery or any control measures.

HSE inspector Adam McMahon said after the hearing: “The employee’s life changing injuries could have been prevented if a suitable and sufficient risk assessment had been completed and the correct control measures implemented.

What would be the effect on your company if one of your staff lost a thumb and you were fined £125k?

Here at the BPIF we can provide you with advice and support from industry experts who can advise on guarding and developing risk assessments which can help you avoid such instances. If you don’t currently use our Health and Safety service contact us today and find out just how much support is available.