One employee of a plastic manufacturer in Berkshire is considering a work accident claim after he lost a finger in an incident at work, accident claim experts reported recently.
The DuBois Ltd staff member, whose name has been withheld from the public out of privacy concerns, lost his left middle finger when it was trapped in a colour dosing unit’s rotating dial at the Arkwright Road, Corby factory. His finger was damaged badly enough to warrant an above the knuckle amputation in hospital, with his personal injury claims stating that he endured nearly ten months of painful physiotherapy which delayed his return to work by many weeks after he was mangled by the plastic colour-adding machinery.
The Health and Safety Executive investigated the incident, finding that a safety guard, a piece of machinery which made it impossible for the moving parts of the machine to come into contact with workers’ fingers, had been removed. The Slough, Berkshire company, which trades as AGI Amaray, was prosecuted by the HSE at Corby Magistrates’ Court, resulting in DuBois Ltd making an admission of breaching regulations concerning the provision and use of work equipment.
DuBois Ltd was given a £7,000 fine at the hearing for violating the health and safety regulations. Moreover, the manufacturer was also told to pay £4,677 in legal fees for their part in causing the unnamed worker’s injuries.
After the hearing, one inspector for the Health and Safety Executive commented that factory staff removed the safety guard regularly in order to perform calibrations on the machine. However, the guard had not been replaced on this occasion, leading to the work accident.