Worker breaks arm in conveyor belt accident

The employee of a Birmingham-based metal recycling company suffered a broken arm in a personal injury at work when the appendage was caught in a conveyor belt, leading to the Health and Safety Executive to fine his employers.

Twenty eight year old worker, unidentified by anything but by his home town of Blackheath, had been working to clear a blockage on one of the scrap metal conveyor belts at the Hawkeswood Metal Recycling Ltd’s Nechells plant when the injury occurred. According to the man’s personal injury claims, he had initially attempted to clear the blockage by using a mop before then trying to dislodge the metal by reaching in and using his right hand to do so, only to have his glove become trapped.

With his glove lodged in-between a rotating roller and the conveyor itself, his arm was dragged into the machine, causing soft tissue damage to his wrist and breaking his right arm in the incident. The anonymous worker’s injuries were so serious that he was off work for nine months straight in order for him to make a full recovery from his work accident.

According to HSE investigators, there were no safety guards fitted to the conveyor belt, which meant that anyone could have been able to reach inside and have their hands come into contact with the dangerous moving parts of the machine. Hawkeswood Metal Recycling Ltd was prosecuted by the HSE, leading to the company pleading guilty to breaching Health and Safety regulations and earning Hawkeswood a £50,000 fine.

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