Burnham furniture firm fined after worker injured

Date:

11 January 2011

Release No:

HSE-e-01-11

An employee almost severed his arm when cutting wood on an industrial saw he had barely been trained to use, a court heard today.

Daniel Gaskin, 28, a furniture assembler from Burnham-on-Crouch was working at Machine Hire Ltd, on the Burnham Business Park when the incident happened on 17 March 2010.

Chelmsford Magistrates' Court heard how, just ten weeks after starting his employment at Machine Hire Ltd, Mr Gaskin cut most of the way through his left arm as he was slicing up wooden off-cuts with a 'cross cut' saw.

During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution of the firm, the court was told that prior to the day of the incident, Mr Gaskin was given only five minutes instruction in operating the saw, on which he had no previous experience.

The HSE investigation found the actual saw was unsuitable to be used for training; the standard of training given was seriously deficient and did not include instruction on the machine's guards or how to properly use them.

Inspectors concluded that a properly adjusted nose guard would have prevented the incident.

Machine Hire Ltd from Burnham Business Park, Springfield Road admitted to breaching regulation 9(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. The company was fined £12,000 with £3,500 costs.

HSE Inspector, Vicky Fletcher, said:

"This was a serious and entirely preventable incident which left this employee with horrific injuries.

"Machine Hire Limited failed to ensure only properly trained employees had access and authorisation to use the saw.

"Whoever is instructing people in the use of such machinery they must be competent not just as machine operators but also as trainers. Training needs to include how to properly use all the safety features of a particular machine and needs to be backed up with sufficient supervision to make sure standards by all staff are maintained.

"This company had access to the necessary standards but failed to implement them."

Latest statistics for the East of England show that two people were killed and 342 suffered a major injury while working in the manufacturing industry in 2008/09.

Notes to editors

1. Regulation 9(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations states "Every employer shall ensure that all persons who use work equipment have received adequate training for purposes of health and safety, including training in the methods that may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken."
   This is supplemented in the Woodworking Industry by the Approved Code of Practice and Guidance 'Safe use of woodworking machines.' This includes specific guidance on the kind of material to be included in any in-house training course.
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.
3. For more information on health and safety in manufacturing go to www.hse.gov.uk/manufacturing
4. For specific advice on supervision of working with saws and similar equipment see http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg440.htm

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