Oldham Worker Has Fingers Sliced By Faulty Machinery Accident At Work

A workplace accident in Oldham has left an employee with horrific injuries after guards were removed from the machinery he was working with.

The incident happened in May last year when a 35-year-old employee was working on a machine in the Rose Tissue Ltd factory, Hollinwood. At the time, the worker was cleaning the machine with a cloth; it became caught in between tow rotating parts and pulled the worker’s hand inside.

Spent Time In Hospital

The 35-year-old man, who has not been named, had to have surgery on his hand but two of his fingers could not be saved and he lost the tops of them.

Following the incident, an investigation was undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive. They discovered that the guards who were supposed to be on the machinery to protect operators had been cast aside in a storage container in the factory where they had been for some time.

HSE Inspector, Stuart Kitchingham said that the company should not have superseded the need for the safety guards by not using them. He said: “Guards were fitted to the machine for a reason and there’s simply no excuse for two of them to be missing for over a year.”

Company Breached Provision and Use Of Work Equipment Regulations

He added that because of this, a man has ‘suffered an injury to his hand that will affect him for the rest of his life.’

The HSE representative said that incidents like this one were renowned as being a risk in the printing industry. The company was found guilty of breaking the rules laid down in the Provision And Use Of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. It was ordered to pay £10,000 plus £8,000 in prosecution fees to the HSE.

Claiming Compensation For A Machinery Accident At Work

Machinery accidents are used in many manufacturing and industrial workplace settings. There are strict rules set out by the HSE in terms of maintaining them, using safety features, including guards and performing risk assessments.

If you have suffered any type of injury at work then it is possible you could make a compensation claim if it can be proven the cause of your injury was not your fault.

Your employer must comply with HSE regulations and if not they are in danger of one of their employees becoming injured and facing a compensation claim.

If your injuries have left you unable to continue working or with any kind of pain and suffering then this will be considered in your claim.

Please call us for more information and advice on 0333 358 3034.

Published 16th February 2015.