A Wigan firm has been fined £12,500 after one of its employees severed his finger whilst switching on a piece of drilling equipment.
B&B Group Ltd, of West Bridgewater Street, Leigh, was also ordered to pay costs of £1,703 at Trafford Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.
The court heard that the 46-year-old worker was using a drill to make holes in an iron bar. After drilling a hole he switched the piece of equipment off and repositioned the iron bar. However, the drill takes 30 seconds to stop after being turned off and the employee got the glove on his right hand stuck in the machine after reaching too early to switch it on again.
The drill, which was still rotating, pulled his hand into the machine severing his index finger below the first joint, severely cutting his middle finger and dislocating his ring finger.
The Health and Safety Executive found that the company failed to provide a machine guard around the drill bit to protect employees working on the equipment.
Source: Claims Management
