Bury firm sentenced after woman's fingers severed

Date:

10 December 2010

Release No:

HSE/NW/65Chadwicks

A worker in a factory, manufacturing lids for food containers, had four fingers severed in a lid-punching machine that had been modified by her employers.

Chadwicks of Bury Ltd, which produces lids for yogurt pots, ice cream cartons and other food containers, was prosecuted by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at the company's Villiers Street factory on 15 May 2008.

The 51-year-old worker, who has asked not to be named, was rethreading silver paper through the machine when the cutting tool restarted, severing four fingers on her right hand.

The HSE investigation found the company had covered the sensors on the machine so it could be used to cut paper instead of foil lids. The sensors would have stopped the machine operating when paper was being rethreaded through the cutting tool, if they had not been disabled.

Chadwicks of Bury 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 £22,500 with £8,708 costs at Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court today.

Nanette Cox, the investigating inspector at HSE, said:

"This lady suffered life-long injuries in a completely avoidable incident. She has been unable to return to work, and finds it difficult to carry out everyday activities.

"Chadwicks of Bury disabled the sensors on the machine and failed to install an alternative guard to stop employees accessing the dangerous cutting tool inside the machine while it was operating.

"We would remind all companies to ensure machines are properly guarded. This employee has to live with the consequences of these management failings, but lessons must be learnt by other employers."

Last year, 35 workers lost their lives and nearly 26,000 suffered serious injuries in the manufacturing industry in Great Britain. 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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