After one manufacturing firm employee lost the tip of a finger whilst on the job, the man may be considering bringing a work accident claim against his employer, personal injury compensation experts recently reported.
The forty one year old worker, whose name has not been released to the media due to privacy concerns, had been employed by the Eaton Williams Group Ltd, an air conditioning manufacturer trading under the name Colman Moducel. The man, who had been working at the Stoke-on-Trent factory located in Birrell Street, Fenton prior to the incident that may lead to his accident claim, had been trimming a louvered screen’s metal parts with a circular saw when the rotating blade came into contact with his right hand, severing the tip of his middle finger.
The Government’s Health and Safety Executive chose to investigate the incident, revealing that the circular saw’s top guard had not been set in the proper position. In addition, it was revealed that jigs and other basic safety devices were not being used, the braking system was inefficient, and that the circular saw’s emergency stop button was not working properly.
As a result of the HSE’s investigations, Eaton Williams Group Ltd was prosecuted at a hearing in Fenton Magistrates’ Court, where it admitted to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and fined a sum of £10,000. The firm, which has its head offices in Kent, was also told to pay court costs totaling £4,105 for the role it played in the man’s injuries.