Keep your guards up or pay the price

Two reports from HSE covering the removal or lack of guards to machinery, stress the importance of proper guarding of machines and the need to ensure that equipment, with sharp, fast-moving parts, had safety guards in place.

Other issues identified included stop times that were far too long, making it difficult to stop a machine in an emergency.”

Washington firm fined £2,000 after factory worker loses finger A Washington firm has been fined £2,000 after a worker lost a finger operating dangerous machinery that the company knew was defective. The company was also ordered to pay costs of £1,056 after pleading guilty to breaching the Power and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. More information can be found at: https://news.hse.gov.uk/2010/03/01/washington-firm-fined-2000-after-factory-worker-loses-finger/?eban=rssPress%20release Shropshire firm fined for near-miss hand injury

An Oswestry firm has also been fined after one of its employees almost lost a finger when his hand came into contact with a wood plane.

More information can be found at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2010/coi-wm-61609.htm

Note: Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 states: “Every employer shall ensure that measures are taken… which are effective… to prevent access to any dangerous part of machinery or to any rotating stock-bar; or… to stop the movement of any dangerous part of machinery or rotating stock-bar before any part of a person enters a danger zone.

See also BWF guidance on these and other safety issues which can be found by clicking on the following link –