HSE issues Safety Alert on Road Surface Top Cutting Machines

The HSE has issued a safety alert warning of the dangers involved when using top cutting machines to prepare trenches in roads without proper safety devices. This comes after a fatal incident in July, involving a worker who became entangled in the rotating drum of a top cutting machine.

The HSE wishes to raise awareness of the dangers and possible risks of becoming trapped in a top cutting machine by sending out a safety alert to the construction and utilities industries.

Helena Tinton, HSE Inspector says: "Most machines of this type require a deactivation device which automatically stops the machine when the operator leaves the drivers seat.

"Employers are legally required to ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state and to make sure all safety devices are in working order. Operators should also make sure that the power is disconnected and the machine has come to a standstill before carrying out any maintenance on the cutting wheel.

"We urge those in the construction and utilities industries to check the safety devices on their top cutting machines and to prevent similar incidents occurring."

The HSE is currently undertaking an investigation into the Incident with the Wiltshire police.
Click here to read the HSE's Safety Alert: Construction machinery - Access to cutting wheel of top cutting machines.

Plant Fined £30,000 After Worker Loses Three Fingers

An employee at a meat processing plant in Prestwick lost three fingers when a machine he was attempting to repair started up. The owners of the company have been convicted of failing to have a safe isolation procedure in place for the machinery.

The incident happened in June 2008 when employee Steven Glass was working on an Endoline tape packaging machine which had been under repair. When the machine wouldn’t work he tried to fix it. As the machine could not be properly isolated to prevent accidental operation, it started and subsequently trapped three of his fingers, which were amputated. One of his fingers was successfully reattached.

Since Mr Glass' accident, the company has been taken over hand has seen significant improvements in regards to health and safety.

On 2nd July 2009 at Ayr Sherriff Court, Belcher Food products Ltd of Prestwick, pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 2(1); 2 (2) and 33 (1) (a) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £30,000.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has stressed the importance of ensuring machinery is capable of being isolated to prevent operation and to ensure employees are given sufficient training, instruction and supervision.

Helen Diamond, HSE Investigating Inspector is now warning companies of the importance of maintaining machinery and ensure that it is properly guarded: "This serious accident was entirely foreseeable and preventable. The company themselves had identified a large number of serious faults with their machinery well before this accident, yet little was done to rectify these faults. The company also failed to follow the advice of our inspectors.

"It is vital for the safety of all employees that companies ensure machinery is properly maintained and that systems are in place to ensure it cannot accidentally be operated when under repair. Our investigations showed that it was normal practice for employees to repair their own machines."

A year previous to the accident, the court heard that an electrical inspection of their premises identified 866 faults with the electrics and wiring system, 200 of these regarded as most urgent. Little or no work had been done to correct these faults by the time of the accident.

HSE inspectors visited the plant 3 months prior to the accident and informed the company that they have a procedure in place to ensure machinery could be properly isolated while being prepared. This had not been carried out at the time of the accident.