Risks to young worker were not assessed

A 21-year old worker was left to operate an industrial saw without any instruction or training in its use. He subsequently lost 3 fingers while using the equipment which had no adjustable guard in place around the part of the blade not being used on engineering premises in Heywood, Rochdale. He was unsupervised at the time of the October 2010 accident.

Employer Adelaide Engineering Company Ltd of Burford, Oxfordshire, which has contracts to supply materials for the aerospace, nuclear, oil and gas industries, was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £2,514 in prosecution costs having admitted breaching r.3(1)(a) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and S.2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

At Trafford Magistrates’ Court the investigating HSE inspector commented: “It’s astonishing that an employee was left to work unsupervised on the saw, despite not having any previous experience or receiving any training on how to use it safely. As a result, he has lost parts of 3 fingers on his left hand and will have to live with the injury for the rest of his life.”