OM Tyre Recycling Limited have this month been fined £7,500, in addition to a 12 month conditional discharge, plus £1,764 costs after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing at Newry Crown Court on 24 September 2012, to four breaches of health and safety legislation.
The case relates to an incident on 22 July 2011 at the company's premises in Mayobridge. An employee was trying to clear a blockage of accumulated shredded tyre pieces from an operating conveyor when his right hand and arm came in contact with an unguarded tail pulley.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) found that on the day of the accident the conveyor being used in the tyre shredding process was not safe because a section of the fixed guarding around the tail pulley was missing and there was no pull cord operated emergency stop switch on the conveyor to prevent risk when an irregular event occurs. The investigation also found that such blockages were happening regularly and the system of work being used to clear the blockages was not safe.
HSE NI Inspector, Denise Donaghy commented, "This incident should have been avoided and highlights the dangers involved when clearing blockages from machinery. It is important that companies identify and address hazards in the workplace. Companies must ensure that guards are maintained in place and that procedures are in place to ensure that work is not carried out while machinery is still moving."
This marks a bad few months for OM Tyre Recycling, who as we reported in September, were subject to a £120,000 confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 at Newry Crown Court, in relation to a series of waste offences. You can read that article here: http://cedr.ec/ht.
