HSE/NW/019/08 8 February 2008

Health and Safety Executive warn of the danger of carrying out maintenance work on live machinery – Cumbria company fined

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned of the danger of maintenance work being carried out on live machinery. The warning comes after a Penrith company was fined after an employee's hand was dragged into a machine, breaking two of his fingers.

Jeld-Wen UK Limited of Mardale Road, Penrith were today fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £3,500 costs after pleading guilty at Penrith Magistrates' Court to a charge under Regulation 22 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The Court heard that on the 31 October 2006 an employee was repairing a frame-making machine at the company, which makes doors. Diagnosis of the fault was done with the machine live and his fingers were dragged into the machine resulting in two of them being broken.

The machine had a function to mechanically isolate the machine and which would have allowed the fault to be diagnosed safely, but the company did not make use of it. HSE investigated the incident and served an Improvement Notice on Jeld-Wen UK requiring the company to ensure that its machinery is used safely.

HSE Inspector Mhairi Duffy said:

"The consequences of this incident could have been far more severe. This piece of equipment had a function, which had it been used, should have prevented this injury occurring. Employers are responsible for ensuring that safe operating procedures are in place for all their employees."

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 22 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (as amended), says: Every employer shall take appropriate measures to ensure that work equipment is so constructed or adapted that, so far as is reasonably practicable, maintenance operations which involve a risk to health or safety can be carried out while the work equipment is shut down, or in other cases –
   1. (a) maintenance operations can be carried out without exposing the person carrying them out to a risk to his health or safety; or
   2. (b) appropriate measures can be taken for the protection of any person carrying out maintenance operations which involve a risk to his health or safety.
2. Information and guidance on the safe use of work equipment can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/puwerind.htm

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