Unguarded machinery causes worker’s head injury 12 December 2013

Envases (UK), which manufacturers aluminium containers, was fined £13,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,590 in court yesterday (11 December 2013) for safety failings after an employee suffered serious injuries when her head became trapped between two machines.

Gaynor Gordon, 47, was reaching into an unguarded gap between a packaging machine and strapping machine on the firm's Port Talbot production line to retrieve aerosol cans that had fallen beneath machinery.

Neath Magistrates heard that as she did so, on 10 July 2012, a can collection basket lowered, trapping her head. Her cries were heard by colleagues, who released her from the machine, but she suffered a fractured cheek and eye socket.

HSE (Health and Safety Executive) found there was no guard to prevent access to dangerous moving parts of the machinery and served a prohibition notice halting further use of the equipment until adequate guarding was installed.

Envases (UK) put fixed mesh guarding in place later the same day to bring the machine back into production, demonstrating that it was straightforward to control the risk.

Speaking after the prosecution, HSE inspector Clare Owen, said: "Envases failed to guard this machine and the gap was large enough to allow Mrs Gordon access to dangerous moving machine parts.

"Sadly for Mrs Gordon this incident was both foreseeable and preventable.

"This prosecution should send a strong signal to companies to identify and act on the risks presented by production machinery and to review the measures they have in place regularly."

Brian Tinham

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Health & Safety Executive

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