Manufacturing Company Fined £187,600 after Apprentice Suffers Serious Injuries

A manufacturing company has been fined £187,600 after the shirt of an apprentice was pulled into a radial-arm drill resulting in three broken ribs and the needing of skin grafts.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company had not taken appropriate measures to ensure the safety of their employees, operators had not been properly trained on how to use the safety features on the equipment, and that the company had made modifications to the drills which increased the risk of employee harm.

HSE guidance states employers must properly assess risks and take measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. Employers must also ensure that they provide their employees with the necessary level of information, instruction, training, and supervision to enable them to work safety with the equipment they use.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was fined £187,600 and was ordered to pay £7,464 in costs.