Ends of 3 fingers lost in unguarded machine at chemical company

Omya UK Ltd., an East Yorkshire chemical company was fined £29,813 (inc. costs) after an employee lost the ends of three fingers in an unguarded part of a machine collecting calcium oxide dust.

The circumstances were:

• Ductwork under the rotary valve on a collection unit had been dismantled so the fine oxide could be collected in bags underneath, which was an unusual method. 
• The necks of the bags were placed under the valve but did not fit properly.
• Omya UK Ltd., totally failed to assess the risks involved with running the machine without the ductwork in place.
• Therefore, they had failed to make sure the dangerous parts were properly guarded.
• On 14 Feb 2013, a worker noticed a build-up of powder on the outside of a bag, 
• He tried to adjust the fit, his hand caught the valve and came into contact with a shear point created by a rotating valve.
• The moving part severed the tips of his first, second and third fingers to the first joint. 
• He has since recovered and been able to return to work.

The HSE inspector said:

“This case underlines the need for managers to consider risks before they get employees to carry out unusual or non-routine work. If that had happened, Omya could have prevented one of their employees being maimed for life. This is the essence of risk assessment – it is not pointless form-filling bureaucracy. Had Omya UK Ltd given some thought to this task, it would have been obvious that a guard was needed to stop accidental contact with a nasty shear trap inside the machine. Their poor planning meant workers getting near a dangerous part in order to try to make a bad plan work.”