Firm fined after worker's hair ripped out by machinery

Date:

17 January 2013

A Deeside company has been fined £60,000 after a young worker was severely injured when her hair was ripped out by poorly guarded machinery.

Kelly Nield's hair after it was ripped out by machinery at Mainetti's factory

Kelly Nield, 25, of Ellesmere Port, was sorting clothes hangers on a conveyor when her scarf and hair became caught in the chain and sprocket drive of the belt as she bent over to remove accumulated hangers.

She sustained serious throat injuries, lost a substantial part of her hair and fractured a finger in the incident on 11 April 2009 at Mainetti (UK) Ltd in Deeside Industrial Park. Miss Nield needed a number of operations and was in hospital for three months.

The incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted the company for serious safety failings at Mold Crown Court.

HSE found Mainetti (UK) Ltd had fitted a guard to the conveyor but it did not fully enclose the dangerous moving parts. There was no emergency stop button on the conveyor which could have lessened the impact of the incident.

In addition, the company's risk assessment failed to identify the dangers of entanglement in conveyors, and the need to keep hair and loose clothing secure when near the machinery was poorly enforced.

The court fined Mainetti (UK) Ltd of Oxnam Road, Jedburgh, a total of £60,000 and ordered the company to pay costs of £21,668 on 17 January 2013.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching three regulations under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and one breach under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health at Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

HSE Inspector David Wynne, speaking after the hearing, said:

"These horrific, life-changing injuries sustained by Ms Nield could easily have been avoided if the right safeguarding measures had been taken by Mainetti (UK) Ltd.

"There are well-known risks associated with working with conveyor belts. It is vital, therefore, that the risks are fully assessed and guarding provided to prevent access to moving parts. Where appropriate, emergency stop controls should be installed in readily accessible places.

"Employers must also ensure that workers are properly monitored, supervised and trained when working with this sort of equipment."

Further information on machinery guarding can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l22.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 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 states: "Every employer shall make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work."
3. Regulation 9 of same 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 which may be adopted when using the work equipment, any risks which such use may entail and precautions to be taken."
4. Regulation 11 of the same Regulations 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."
5. Regulation 16 of the same Regulations states: "Every employer shall ensure that, where appropriate, work equipment is provided with one or more readily accessible emergency stop controls."

Press enquiries

Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by the Regional News Network