Rotating circular saw accident lifts lid on cabinet manufacturer’s health and safety failings

A High Peak cabinet manufacturer has been fined for safety failings after part of an employee’s finger was cut off in machinery. The subsequent HSE investigation into the accident lifted the lid on a number of Health and Safety failings and lead to the firm being fined £8,000 and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £9,692.

On 28 October 2011, the worker was using a rotating circular saw to cut a piece of wood when it severed the top of the little finger on his left hand.

The company, which manufactures cabinets for kitchens, arcade machines and fire surrounds, was prosecuted on 9 April 2013 by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found that the worker had neither received training on how to use the saw, nor been given suitable equipment.

High Peak Magistrates’ Court heard that the worker, from Stalybridge, had pushed the wood through the saw by hand whereas he should have been given a push-stick or another tool to use. There was also nobody at the factory responsible for supervising the use of the saw, despite it being operated daily.

When an HSE inspector visited the site to investigate the incident, he found another machine had towels wrapped around the top of it to try and prevent wood dust getting into the air because the exhaust ventilation system fitted above the machine to suck up the dust was not suitable. Despite this, the machine was still covered in dust.

The company pleaded guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of employees.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Stuart Parry said:

"Sadly the loss of fingers on circular saws is all too common, but the employee’s injuries could have been prevented if he had been given proper training and a push-stick to use.
"The company should also have done more to prevent workers breathing in wood dust, which can cause asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
"It should have been immediately obvious that stuffing towels around a machine wasn’t a sensible way of dealing with the problem. The exhaust ventilation system was not suitable and should have been replaced."

BWF members who fall short of their Health & Safety obligations will be charged intervention costs of £124 per hour if a breach in the law is discovered during an HSE inspection. Joinery businesses are currently being targeted with inspection visits so all BWF members need to ensure they have the legally required Health & Safety precautions in place, including PPE, regular LEV testing, trained first aiders (if necessary), full risk assessments and lung function testing (if necessary).

The BWF has prepared draft Health and Safety policies within the Publications section of the website. Our guidance also includes the set of Machine Safety Cards, and the comprehensive ‘BWF Guide to Health and Safety in the woodworking industry’, which members can download for free.

We have produced a 12 point ‘Health and Safety: the essentials’ checklist to help prevent you getting caught out. You can download it from our Health and Safety publications: www.bwf.org.uk/publications/health-and-safety/3

HSE statistics for 2010/11 show there were 25 fatal injuries and more than 17,000 injuries in the manufacturing industries. It is estimated that British employers would save 250,000 work days each year if they could just keep people safe on machinery. You can get your Health and Safety audited through the BWF's Toolkit+ services with reduced rates for BWF members.