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Monday 07 January 2019Health and Safety Executive says dangerous machinery puts employees at risk in manufacturing sector
Swindon Accident Solicitors is backing The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as it urges British manufacturing companies to carry out the correct safety procedures when asking employees to operate potentially dangerous machinery.
GREIF UK Ltd was prosecuted by the HSE following an investigation into the incident. The court heard there were no guards under the rotating table to prevent access to the chains while they were moving. The company has since installed fencing and a gate around the machine, which stops it from operating if the gate is opened.
GREIF admitted a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 by failing to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery. The company was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £3,699 in costs. ??Some 4,000 people a year suffer a major injury while working in the UK manufacturing sector, according to the latest HSE figures, while 27 employees lost their lives in various incidents in the last recorded year. HSE inspector Martin Paren says: "Manufacturing firms must make the safety of employees their top priority to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future."??The HSE advises that anyone involved in a situation where safeguards will be necessary, such as operating a machine, should have access to appropriate personal protective equipment to ensure their wellbeing. This can include safety gloves and other kinds of protective workwear, all of which should be kept clean and in good repair by the employer.
“Suffering an injury caused by dangerous machinery can have an emotional impact as well as the physical effects,” says Robert Millbourn of Swindon Accident Solicitors. “Pursuing a compensation claim might seem like unnecessary stress following an accident, but no-one deserves to be injured because of their employer’s negligence.”
“Our job is to give you expert legal advice but also to provide friendly support that takes the stress out of securing the compensation you deserve. Swindon has always been a major manufacturing town, so we have many years’ experience dealing with accidents of all shapes and sizes.”
If you have been the victim of an accident at work because of faulty machinery and would like to discuss the claims process and possible compensation, please contact Swindon Accident Solicitors on 01793 425595.