Warwickshire council fined £7k over accident at workRSS Feed
A local authority has been fined £7,000 and ordered to pay £5,235 in costs following an accident at work that cost an employee several fingers.
Warwickshire County Council pleaded guilty to breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 following an incident in which a heating contractor lost most of two fingers due to poorly-guarded machinery.
John Shields experienced the injury while checking the heating pump in a basement plant room of the local authority's headquarters in Warwick.
He still experiences permanent tingling and stinging sensations in his hands and has been unable to return to work following the accident, which has also led him to experience difficulties in dealing with everyday tasks.
Paul Thompson, inspector at the Health and Safety Executive, claimed that the incident could have been easily avoided if the organisation had taken the necessary steps to guard the machinery.
He said: "Anyone, being an employer or in control of work equipment, must ensure that dangerous parts of machinery are adequately guarded and it is unacceptable that Warwickshire County Council failed to do this."
Earlier this month, Amcol Minerals Europe Ltd was prosecuted following an accident in which an employee experienced a broken bone and crush injuries after his arm became caught in a machine.
Accident Claims advice from Serious Law
Posted by M Heap
Accident at work leads to employee losing arm
Accident at work results in employee losing his thumb
'Safety failings' lead to accident at work death
Visit our most popular resouces >click here
FAQ's
How we help
Case studies
Accident at work leads to employee losing arm
Accident at work results in employee losing his thumb
'Safety failings' lead to accident at work death
Safety failings lead to equipment hire company fine
Construction firm fined after worker's foot crushed
