Fencing firm prosecuted for putting workers in danger

Date:

9 October 2010

Release No:

HSE/NW/56FencingSupplies

A Manchester fencing manufacturer has admitted putting its employees in danger by allowing them to use unguarded machinery.

Fencing Supplies Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the company allowed guards to be disabled on nine fence cutting machines at its factory on Mellors Road in Trafford Park.

When an HSE inspector visited the site on 23 July 2009, he served nine Prohibition Notices banning the use of the machines and an Improvement Notice requiring changes to working practices.

Machine with guards disabled

Trafford Magistrates' Court heard that the guards on five machines had been deliberately bypassed. This meant that workers could gain access them while they were still operating, to carry out maintenance work and remove waste materials.

Mike Lisle, the investigating inspector at HSE, said:

"The machines should have automatically shut down before anyone was able to get close to the dangerous parts of the machinery.

"But as a result of the guards being defeated, the machines continued to operate with workers at risk of coming into contact with moving parts and suffering serious injury.

"Missing or defective guards on machinery are a common cause of injury in the manufacturing sector. It is only by chance that no one was seriously injured in this case."

Fencing Supplies Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.

The company was fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £2,774 towards the cost of the prosecution on 9 October.

More than 3.2 million people are employed in the manufacturing industry in the UK. Last year, 35 workers lost their lives and there were nearly 26,000 serious injuries. Information on improving safety is available at www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing.

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken...which are effective...to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone."
2. 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. www.hse.gov.uk

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