Fingers crushed in due to inoperable interlocked guards

Clondalkin Pharma & Healthcare (Kimbolton) Ltd, of  Portishead, Bristol, was fined £13,890 (inc. costs) after an employee had two fingers crushed in unguarded machinery.

The circumstances were:

• The label printing machine on which the accident occurred and a further three printing machines at the factory had inoperable interlocked guards.
• Despite having assessed the risks, the company did not identify this danger and instead relied on instructing operators to close the guards.
• An employee was trying to clear a piece of adhesive from the anvil of the machine while it was running, which he could do because of the defective interlocks 
• His right hand became caught and two of his fingers got crushed in an unguarded in-running nip. 
• He subsequently made a full recovery

The HSE Inspector said:

“This case highlights the need for employers to assess risks adequately. It is a well-known fact that unguarded printing machines can cause major injuries and Clondalkin should have known better than to let its workers use inadequately-guarded machinery. Instructing operators to close guards is not reliable enough, as this incident demonstrates. Guards on machinery are there for a reason and they should be maintained in working order and checked for possible failures regularly. Had the guards been operational on the machine this worker used, he would not have had to suffer such a painful injury.”