An employee of the Environment Agency has been badly injured after an incident where his finger was trapped in an unguarded circular saw. The Environment Agency has been fined as a result.
The 48 year old employee from Coniston, working at the Bridge end Depot in Levens, later had to have his middle finger amputated to the top joint.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident and prosecuted the Environment Agency when they discovered it had become standard practice for the employees to use the saw without a guard. It was thought this practice had started as a way to ease difficulties employees had with the guard when cutting larger bits of wood.
The machine was being used to cut some two-inch thick pegs which would be used to hold wooden boards in place for new steps until the concrete set, the court heard.
No risk assessment had been carried out despite the fact that the circular saw was used to cut pegs every few months. There had also been limited supervision and managers were totally unaware the machine was being used without a guard.
The Environment Agency was fined £5 000 and ordered to pay £1 364 in prosecution costs on 17 September 2014. The Environment Agency pleaded guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations SI 1998/2306 by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery.
Since the accident the Environment Agency have reviewed their procedures and decided to stop using the saw on its Levens site.
HSE Inspector Anthony Banks commented after the hearing: "Workers should never have been able to use the circular saw without the guard in place, but the Environment Agency failed to carry out a risk assessment or to properly monitor the work. Sadly it had become standard practice for the saw to be used without a guard, making it almost inevitable that someone would eventually be injured."
