A young worker suffered serious injuries to his hand when he was involved in an accident involving a saw at his place of work.
The man, 21, was working at Adelaide Engineering Company Ltd’s factory in Heywood, Lancashire, when the incident occurred in October of last year.
He was operating an industrial saw which contains a fast rotating, 64cm blade, in order to cut a piece of 5cm wide steel to the correct shape and size. However, whilst using the saw, the man’s hand slipped and three of his fingers were cut off by the fast-moving blade.
Following the serious work accident, a thorough investigation was carried out by officers from The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The HSE decided to prosecute Adelaide Engineering Company Ltd after it was discovered that the dangerous saw did not have the necessary adjustable safety guard fitted around a section of the blade, which could well have helped to prevent the accident from happening in the first place.
The HSE investigation also revealed that the worker had received no safety training on how to use the saw by the company, and he was also working unsupervised at the factory when the accident took place.
The firm pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations, to failing to assess the risks of operating dangerous machinery and also failing to protect the safety of its members of staff.
It was fined £8,000 at Trafford Magistrates Court following the hearing.