Royston worker loses fingers on unguarded power hammer

Date:

3 December 2012

Release No:

HSE/East/107/12

A multinational precious metals and chemical company has appeared in court after an employee sustained a serious hand injury at a plant in Royston, Hertfordshire.

The worker, who does not want to be named, severed two fingers whilst operating a 10-tonne power hammer at a site operated by Johnson Matthey Plc, on Orchard Road, on 30 March 2011.

Hertford Magistrates' Court heard on Friday 30 November that he was using the machine to crush waste pieces of metal when he inadvertently caught his left hand under the automatic hammer. Such was the force of the machine it crushed and effectively severed his index and middle fingers below the second knuckle.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and found the hammer was unguarded and wasn't being used in the correct manner.

HSE also established that the machine was regularly used in this way - a dangerous practice that should have been stopped.

Johnson Matthey Plc, whose UK head office is based at Farringdon Street, London, was fined a total of £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,194 in costs after pleading guilty to two charges under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

The company operates in more than 30 countries worldwide and employs almost 10,000 people at sites in North and South America, Asia, Africa, Australia and across Europe.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Stephen Farthing said:

"The injured employee was using this powerful machine inappropriately. It wasn't guarded and was unsuitable for the work he was doing.

"It had become common practice within the company for the power hammer to be used in this way. Had better precautions been taken to make the machine safe and properly supervise activity, then the incident could have been prevented."

For information and advice on using machinery and maintaining plant and equipment in the workplace visit the new HSE Toolbox at http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/machinery/index.htm

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. Regulation 4(3) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that work equipment is used only for operations for which, and under conditions for which, it is suitable."
3. Regulation 11(1) of the same legislation states: "Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken in accordance with paragraph (2) which is effective (a) to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or (b) to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a person enters a danger zone."

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