Accident compensation could be on the cards for a production operative who suffered an injury at work.
The 20-year-old employee had part of his left thumb severed while working at a Lincolnshire timber company. He was using a circular saw to cut insulation foam at the time.
While the table-mounted circular saw did have a guard, a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection revealed that it had become standard practice among employees to remove the guard as the height adjustment mechanism on the saw was broken.
On top of this, the table saw was not big enough to offer adequate support for the foam that required cutting, prompting the employee to support the foam with his hands rather than using a push-stick.
HSE inspector Emma Madeley said that the company had "neglected its legal duty to take reasonably practicable steps to ensure the safety of their employees".
She added: "The injured man's employers failed to provide equipment which would allow the job to be done safely and, as a result, a young employee suffered serious injury in a completely preventable incident."
The young man was off work for seven weeks following the incident.