A Co. Antrim employee has been ordered to pay £20,000, after a fellow employee had an arm amputated by a screw auger conveyor whilst working at an animal feed manufacturing site.
On the day of the accident, the injured worker was employed at the McGuckian Milling Company's blending plant, and was busy working, when he noticed a blockage had occurred at a holding bin. During the attempts to rectify the defect, his arm was drawn far into an unguarded rotating screw auger, sustaining injuries that ultimately resulted in the amputation of his left arm below the elbow.
The investigation found that Brian McGuckian had failed to provide adequate information, instruction and training for the operation, use and maintenance of the work equipment. Investigators found that there was a lack of adequate guarding on the screw auger conveyor.
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) inspector, Gavin Rowan, has said that, "Employers must ensure that all machinery is adequately guarded and that their employees are trained and competent to operate machinery." Adding that, "This injury was preventable, and the risk from the unguarded machine should have been identified. Employers should make sure that they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery."
