Manufacturing company prosecuted after horrific hand injury

Date:

29 September 2010

Release No:

HSE-E-34

A manufacturing company has been fined £16,000 after a worker's finger and thumb were severed as he tried to unblock machinery.

Production Supervisor Simon Partridge was in charge of the night-shift at Saint-Gobain Weber Ltd, in Flitwick, Bedfordshire, when he suffered the injuries on 28 November 2007.

The Bedfordshire plant was manufacturing façade tiling and materials for the construction industry when a waste extraction system - which took dust out of the workplace - became blocked. Mr Partridge, 37, of Clapham, near Bedford, attempted to clear the blockage with his left hand and it became entangled in the rotary valve. His finger and thumb were cut off by the machine and could not be saved, despite extensive surgery.

Investigations by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the machine's safety guards could be removed by members of staff using tools the company had provided, which is against the legal requirement for guarding to be in place. Inspectors were also concerned about the system for isolating the power from machinery, which was below expected standards.

Saint-Gobain Weber Limited, of Dickens House, Maulden Road, Enterprise Way, Flitwick, Bedfordshire, appeared at Bedford and Mid-Bedfordshire Magistrates' Court yesterday (Tuesday 28 September) to face charges brought by HSE.

The firm, which manufactures materials for the construction industry, admitted breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Magistrates fined the company £16,000 with £3,560 in costs.

HSE Inspector Graham Tompkins said:

"Unfortunately this kind of horrific injury is all too common. This case would not have happened if a suitable system of work had been used, including power isolation arrangements and safety guards that were not so easily bypassed. Employers have a legal obligation to protect the safety of their workers and help prevent serious injuries like this occurring. HSE will not hesitate to prosecute when companies fail in this basic duty."

The UK manufacturing sector comprises a range of diverse industries and employs over 3.2 million workers. In 2007/8 it reported over 25,900 work related injuries to HSE. This includes over 5,200 major injuries of which 35 were fatalities. Visit www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing for more information about improving safety.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees."
3. General HSE advice on safe working near electricity is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/nearelectric.htm
4. HSE leaflet 'Guidance on Safe Isolation Procedures' can be downloaded as a PDF from: http://www.select.org.uk/downloads/publications/Select%20-%20Safe%20Isolation%20Procedures.pdf
5. General HSE advice on the risks of rotary valves http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2009/coiwm19109.htm

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