Firm fined after teenager’s arm crushed in unguarded machinery18 December 2013

Glass recycling firm Reuse Collections, of South Kirkby, Pontefract, has been fined £5,000 with £3,638 costs after Sheffield teenager had his arm crushed when it was drawn into the unguarded danger zone of a machine.

The 18-year-old, who was employed by a local staffing agency, had been working as a temp at the plant, which trades as Berryman, for varying periods over some six months.

Wakefield Magistrates were told yesterday (17 December 2013) that he had been asked by a supervisor to clean a machine used to separate glass from waste material on 15 June 2012. The machine was running and his left hand and arm was drawn in between a rotating metal drum and a moving conveyor belt.

The HSE (Health and Safety Executive) found that the machine was totally unguarded, and that Reuse Collections had no work system to ensure the machine was isolated and safely locked before cleaning.

Indeed, HSE told the court that rather than fitting an effective guard enclosing the dangerous parts of the machine, the company relied on employees to carry out cleaning carefully to avoid contact with the moving parts.

"There is no excuse for companies to operate machinery without protecting employees and other workers from the dangerous parts," said HSE inspector Bradley Wigglesworth, after the hearing.

"The requirement for guarding is well known and recognised across industry, not least because the risks are obvious," he continued.

"Had the machine had adequate guarding and a safe system of work implemented to isolate the machine, the serious and painful injury to this young and inexperienced worker could have been avoided."

Brian Tinham

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Health & Safety Executive

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