Basildon company fined after worker injures hand

Date:

21 December 2011

Release No:

HSE-e-50

An Essex packaging company has been fined after a worker's hand was injured when it became trapped between the rollers of a glueing machine.

Line supervisor, Lynda Jackson, 57, of Harold Hill, Essex was using cleaning paper to dry machine parts when the paper got caught between two glue rollers and her right hand was pulled into the machine. The tips of two of her fingers were severed.

The incident happened on 22 March 2011 at CBT Packaging Ltd's manufacturing plant in Paycocke Road in Basildon.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that although the company's stated policy was not to clean the glueing machine while its rollers were rotating, it was standard practice to ignore this.

Basildon Magistrates' Court was told staff were not given adequate training in how to clean the machine safely, and the guard it had been fitted with was not well enough maintained to prevent access to the rollers.

Ms Jackson was off work for approximately two months but has been told the nerve damage she suffered to her fingers may be permanent.

CBT Packaging Ltd whose registered office is in High Street, Edgware, Middlesex pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined a total of £12,000 with costs of £4,971.45.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Julie Rayner said:

"Lynda Jackson was failed by the company's lack of proper training, inadequate assessment of risks, an absence of safe working practices and preventing access to dangerous equipment.

"It is simply unacceptable that this lady should be injured at work as a consequence of her employer's negligence. I hope other employers take note of this case and review their own processes."

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. www.hse.gov.uk
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."

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