A Wearside engineering firm has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £2,000 costs for endangering workers by allowing them to use machinery on which vital safety devices had been disabled.
Sunderland Magistrates' Court heard that Washington-based Penshaw Engineering Limited knowingly kept two computer-controlled lathes in use when interlock safety devices were not working. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector visited the site on 30 March 2011, and found the devices disabled. They were designed to protect the workers from the moving parts of the machinery when they were open, however they had been disabled to allow workers to use the rotating lathe to polish components under production with emery cloth.
Further HSE investigations determined the safety devices had been disabled for around a year prior to inspection, and that management were aware of the situation. The company had also been served with two improvement notices and had received advice on the disabling of interlocks on computer controlled machinery.
HSE inspector Fiona McGarry commented, "Safety devices are installed on machinery with dangerous moving parts to protect those who work with them. Deliberately disabling or switching them off puts workers at unnecessary risk and is simply not acceptable. Employers should avoid polishing with emery cloth and lathes. Where necessary it should be applied using safety equipment such as a backing board, tool post or nutcracker. Polishing should not be carried out on computer controlled lathes."
