Adhesive firm fined after worker loses part of thumb

Date:

16 May 2012

Release No:

HSE/M/40/12

An adhesive tape manufacturer has been prosecuted after a 19-year-old agency worker severed his thumb in machinery at a factory in Wellingborough.

The worker, who has asked not to be named, had only been working at Latrave Ltd for three weeks when the incident happened on 25 August 2010.

He was being trained to fix a known problem on a running printing press when his left hand was pulled in between two rollers. He was airlifted to the specialist hand injury unit at Royal Derby Hospital where he had part of his thumb amputated.

He was in hospital for five days and off work for nearly seven months. He still requires physiotherapy and the injury has stopped him pursuing many of his hobbies, including boxing and repairing and riding bicycles.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident found the machine's guard was missing and that the worker was being trained in an unsafe way.

Today, Wellingborough magistrates found Latrave Ltd, of Park Farm Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, guilty of breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The firm was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £14,736.

After the hearing HSE inspector Mark Austin said:

"This inexperienced 19-year-old agency worker has suffered serious, permanent harm because Latrave Ltd failed to ensure his safety when operating this machine. His future career path may have been changed and it will have a lasting effect on his life.

"The machine had guards missing, he was shown dangerous practices like keeping it running while fixing it, and was not properly supervised for someone who had only worked for the company for less than three weeks.

"Companies need to make sure all guards are in place on their machines no matter who is using them, but inexperienced workers need greater training and supervision because of their lack of experience. HSE will inevitably take action against firms who fail in these ways."

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 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to conduct his undertaking in such a way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in his employment who may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed to risks to their health or safety."

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