A window manufacturer has been fined £100,000 after a teenage worker had two fingers severed by a cross-cutting saw.
The 19-year-old was working for Ford Windows Limited at the company’s site in Sheffield when the incident occurred.
He had loaded a cross-cut saw with a length of windowsill, which had been stored outside in the rain. As he went to cut the windowsill, his hand slipped off the wet workpiece into the unguarded part of the blade, resulting in severing parts of two fingers on his left hand.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the company had not conducted a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the cross-cut saw, failed to identify the need to adjust the nose guard of the saw to minimise the amount of blade exposed, and failed to identify the need to dry the materials before cutting.
The investigation also found that the company also failed to provide suitable information, instruction, and training to employees on working safely for this activity.
Guidance on the machinery safety, including maintaining machinery can be found on the HSE website: Introduction to machinery safety – HSE
Ford Windows Limited of Catley Road, Darnall, Sheffield pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and received a fine of £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4227.50.
After the hearing the HM principal inspector Chris Tilley commented: “The company failed in several areas, they had no competent person responsible for health and safety at the site, they failed to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and therefore did not have a suitable safe system of work for the safe use of the saw, which left the nose guard of the saw incorrectly positioned.
“The company’s failure to risk assess meant that they could not communicate information, instruction, and training to their employees on how to use the saw safely.
“If the company had taken the time to risk assess the required controls, to safely use the cross-cut saw, they would have found that suitable measures could have been implemented for zero cost, as the guard was available on the machine and simply needed manually adjusting to guard the blade.”
The prosecution was bought by enforcement lawyer Arfaq Nabi assisted by paralegal officer Imogen Isaac.
Notes to Editors:
- The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives.
- More information about the legislation referred to in this case is available.
- Further details on the latest HSE news releases is available.
- HSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so. The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here.