Chemical manufacturer fined after two serious incidents in three months

A chemical manufacturer has been fined £50,000 after two employees were injured in two separate incidents within three months. The company pleaded guilty to two breaches of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

In the first incident, an employee sustained serious injuries when four of his fingers were severed during machinery start up. The blades had not been effectively isolated whilst the line was being prepared during cleaning operations, and as the employee checked the aur flow, his fingers became trapped between the blades resulting in amputation.

A second incident occurred when an employee was run over by a forklift truck after the driver’s view was obscured. The driver was unaware of the pedestrian at the time of the collision.

The HSE investigation found that the company had failed to put procedures in place to isolate dangerous machinery between cleaning and failed to effectively manage forklift operations and pedestrian routes.

In court, the judge referred to the significant health and safety improvements the company had made following the incidents, emphasising the importance of improvement in mitigation.