HSE Warns Of The Dangers Of Unguarded Machinery As Manchester Tile Company Is Fined

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 08 Feb 2008 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning employers to ensure they have effective measures in place to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. The warning follows HSE's prosecution of a Manchester company after a maintenance engineer lost the tip of his finger.

Pilkington Tiles Ltd of Clifton Junction, Swinton, Manchester was today fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,500 at Trafford Magistrates Court after pleading guilty of breaching Regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

On 4 April 2006, maintenance engineer Brian Wallis caught his fingertip in the running machinery of the conveyor belt he was adjusting when it suddenly started up.

HSE inspector Sandra Tomlinson said: "This was a wholly avoidable incident had the company followed the correct procedures. The danger of unguarded machinery cannot be highlighted too much. It is the employers duty to ensure that risks to safety within the workplace are adequately assessed and that correct control measures are implemented to avoid injury"

Notes

-- The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Reg 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: "Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken in accordance with paragraph (2) which are effective

- to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or
- to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone."

-- The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 Section 2(1) states: "It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees"

-- Further information on maintaining work equipment can be found on HSE's website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/equipment/index.htm

http://www.hse.gov.uk