A MAN working at a Heckmondwike engineering firm suffered serious injuries, a court was told.
Now factory bosses have been urged to make sure all machinery is made safe.
The warning from the Health and Safety Executive to protect employees using heavy machinery came after the worker suffered serious injuries while using an unguarded cutting tool at the 600 UK factory. The 47-year-old workman suffered a compound fracture of his arm, lost tissue and suffered muscle and nerve damage when the sleeve of his overalls became entangled in a vertical jig borer he was using.
He tried to disengage the drive on the machine by using his left hand to operate a lever, but the spindle continued to rotate because of a fault on the brake and he had to be freed by workmates.
The injuries resulted in permanent damage to the victim’s arm.
The factory operators, 600 UK Ltd, of Landmark Court, Revie Road, Leeds, were fined the maximum penalty of £20,000 at Dewsbury Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was also ordered to pay £5,046.80 costs.
HSE Inspector Geoff Fletcher said: “Given that this is a heavy industrial machine operated by a company which makes machinery of this type, they should have known what standard of protection was required. Guards should have been in place.”
