The Health and Safety Executive warned employers about safety procedures when operating machinery, following the prosecution of a Black Country firm.
On June 25, 2008, an employee at Stoke Forgings Dudley Ltd broke his wrist and thumb, dislocated a shoulder, required an extensive skin graft on his forearm, and also damaged nerves and tendons in his forearm after becoming entangled in machinery.
The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £4,103 costs at Dudley Magistrates Court on July 14.
The company, based at Cochrane Road, Dudley, pleaded guilty to a breach of regulation three of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and a breach of Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
The court heard how the injured man was working on a 6-Spindle Drill when his clothing got caught up in a neighbouring drill.
Prosecuting, HSE inspector Sarah Palfreyman said: “The worker should have been protected by fixed guards around the dangerous parts of the machinery and he was lucky to have escaped with the injuries he has.
“Drill-related injuries are still all too frequent and companies need to ensure proper risk assessments are carried out on machinery.
“In this case, if a suitable assessment had been undertaken, the need for an adequate guard would have been identified and the chance of an incident occurring would have been reduced, if not eliminated.”
She said the HSE published codes of practice, guidance and information leaflets with practical advice on machinery guards.
