After an industrial ball washing machine mangles a green keeper’s hand on a Warwickshire golf club, the injured worker may now be pursuing a work accident claim against his employers.
According to accident claim experts writing for the Coventry Telegraph newspaper, the green keeper, whose name has not been released to the public due to privacy concerns, had been attempting to clear a blockage on the ball washing machine when it started up suddenly and dragged his hand into the rotating apparatus inside during the course of his work for the Warwickshire Golf and Country Club, located at Leek Wootton. The employee, who was reported to possibly be Hungarian in origin, sustained severe injury to both his ring and middle fingers and partially severed his index finger in the accident, according to personal injury compensation experts.
Club Company (UK) Ltd, the green keeper’s employers, were investigated by the Government’s Health and Safety Executive, which led to a hearing at Leamington Magistrates’ Court where they entered a plea of guilty for breaching Health and Safety regulations. The operators of the golf club were given a fine of £13,500 for their role in the man’s injuries and were also ordered to pay court costs of £8,000 in total.
In the wake of the court hearing, one spokesperson from the environment department of Warwick District Council remarked that the accident had been completely avoidable if the golf club had only maintained safe working conditions. For entering their guilty plea in court early on during the hearing, and also for their full co-operation with the investigation, Club Company was given credit in court.