A metal fabrication firm has been fined this month, after a 22-year old man's hand was severed by a machine.
Jamie Raynor of Queensbury, Bradford, who worked on a casual basis for RDB Fabrication and Engineering Ltd, had his left hand amputated when the top of a pressing tool from a hydraulic press brake he was operating came down on his wrist. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the machine used to bend sheet metal was fitted with an electronic motion guard to stop it moving if any part of a person entered the danger zone. However, when Mr Raynor reached into the machine to re-position a part, it had failed to operate and stop the movement of the tool.
Halifax Magistrates' Court heard this was the first time Mr Raynor had worked on the machine and he had been given less than ten minutes' instruction on its operation.
HSE inspector Paul Newton said, "A young man has had his life changed forever by a terrible, avoidable accident. The dangers of working with press brakes are well known in the industry and there have been many instances of workers being seriously injured. That's why these machines are fitted with guards to prevent access to the danger zone. In this case, the company's failure to ensure these guards were effective had tragic consequences."
RDB Fabrication and Engineering Ltd admitted breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) SI 1998/2306, and were fined a total of £14,000.
