A man’s hand had to be amputated after it was trapped in machinery at a linen services company in Chester. Johnsons Textile Services Ltd have been fined £100,000 after the incident, with the workers injuries so severe that he lost his hand.
He was working on a fault with a large commercial dryer when he lost his balance and while reaching out to prevent a fall, had his arm crushed by the mechanism. Although there was a vague one metre exclusion rule around the dryer, the moving parts were uncovered and did not account for involuntary movement towards the area.
After investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was found that the company had not fully assessed the risks involved, had not provided suitable guarding, and failed to provide an adequate safe system of work. It was found that there was a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations SI 1998/2306.
HSE inspector Thomas Delroy warned that “all employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”
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