Textile worker killed in accident at workRSS Feed

A company has been fined after a textile worker was killed in an accident at work.

Huddersfield-based West Yarns was prosecuted after 40-year-old Gary Lee sustained fatal injuries after being crushed in a huge baling machine.

While attempting to clean the machine, it reactivated and he became trapped by two plates, causing multiple broken bones and crush injuries.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation revealed a lack of supervision and consistency in work practices at the factory.

It also found that Mr Lee had received no training in how to clean the baling machine.

HSE inspector Kirsty Townend said: "This was an entirely preventable tragedy. The dangers of baling machines are notorious in the industry but are still all too common.

"At Westwood Yarns, there was a common misunderstanding that isolation and lock-off at the mains were not required."

In 2009/10, 152 workers were killed at work in the UK, a rate of 0.5 per 100,000 workers, according to the HSE.

Accident claims advice from Serious Law

Posted by M E Dixon

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