Health & Safety Update (July 2010)
Value of Risk Assessment Highlighted
A Bradford company manufacturing precision parts for the motor
industry was prosecuted for failing to safeguard a machine that
severed the tip of an employee's finger.
The employee used his finger to free a mechanical jam in a
machine used to feed metal pins onto a grinding line. His finger
became trapped in the machinery and the tip was severed.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found control
measures were not in place to prevent such an incident at the firm,
part of a global engineering Corporation. The Corporation pleaded
guilty to two health and safety breaches and was fined £10,000 and
ordered to pay £5,000 costs.
Clearly, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment would have
identified the need for control measures to prevent access to the
feeder - the most obvious being guarding. Machinery guarding is not
a costly, time-consuming or difficult task as often believed.
This case demonstrates the value in spending the time to do a
suitable risk assessment on hazardous equipment, identify the
control measures required and act upon these findings.
Mentor can help you with all aspects of machinery guarding -
call our 24/7 Advice Service or your dedicated consultant.