CP Plastics Limited, a Manchester waste plastic recycling firm, has been fined after an employee’s hand was severed in a granulator machine.
The 50-year-old employee, who has been deaf since birth, had been feeding a granulator machine with waste plastic when he reached inside the machine to pull through plastic which was slowing the machine. The plastic wrapped around his right hand and dragged it into the granulator blades.
As a result of the injury, the worker is no longer able to drive or work, and is finding it difficult to use sign language to communicate.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that there was no safe system of work in place and that the company had failed to provide Employer’s Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI) at the time of the incident.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching both the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations SI 1998/2306 and the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
The court ordered CP Plastics Limited to pay a fine of £1,500, an additional £1,500 towards prosecution costs, and £17,000 in compensation to the victim.
HSE Inspector, Emily Osborne, commented: "This incident could have easily been prevented if the company had suitable measures in place to ensure workers could not access the rotating cutters in the granulating machine. This would include ensuring guards were fitted correctly on the machine. The firm’s failures led to a worker suffering a severe and life changing injury. Every employer needs to ensure that they have Employers Liability Compulsory Insurance in place to ensure employees can claim compensation if they are injured or become ill as a result of their work. It is completely unacceptable to not have basic insurance in place, and, where such breaches are identified they will be pursued by HSE.”
