A lead manufacturing company has been fined after a factory worker received broken ribs after becoming trapped on a moving conveyor, while trying to remove a blockage.
Stephen Shore, an employee of Calder Industrial Materials, was trying to remove a blockage of metal swarf from a conveyor, which was positioned underneath an automatic saw. Mr Shore was cutting rolls of lead into various sizes with the saw when the incident occurred on 20th February 2008 at the company premises.
A tipping table is used to cut the lead and the excess metal falls onto a conveyor belt and taken to a collection area. Mr Shore crawled underneath the machine to remove the fragments which had built up on the conveyor causing a blockage.
However, Mr Shore had not isolated the machine and he was pinned against a metal bar after the tipping table came down on him as he was leaning over the conveyor.
A colleague switched off the machine after noticing Mr Shore was in trouble however he was unable to free him. He was freed by fire fighters who attended the scene. Mr Shore sustained two cracked ribs and a bruised heart and returned to work 4 days later.
On 30th July 2009 at Chester Magistrates' Court, Calder Industrial Materials pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of PUWER 1998 for failing to prevent access to the dangerous part of the machine. The company was fined £4,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,050.
The firm has since installed an interlock gate and guarding to prevent employees from accessing the conveyor.
Bruce Jones, HSE inspector said: "Mr Shore was badly injured because Calder Industrial Materials failed to prevent him from gaining access to dangerous machinery.
"Fixed guards and a padlocked gate should have prevented Mr Shore from entering the machine and accessing the underside of a tipping table, which is used to tip debris on to a conveyor belt. But the guards and gate were not installed until after the incident."
Stephen Shore, an employee of Calder Industrial Materials, was trying to remove a blockage of metal swarf from a conveyor, which was positioned underneath an automatic saw. Mr Shore was cutting rolls of lead into various sizes with the saw when the incident occurred on 20th February 2008 at the company premises.
A tipping table is used to cut the lead and the excess metal falls onto a conveyor belt and taken to a collection area. Mr Shore crawled underneath the machine to remove the fragments which had built up on the conveyor causing a blockage.
However, Mr Shore had not isolated the machine and he was pinned against a metal bar after the tipping table came down on him as he was leaning over the conveyor.
A colleague switched off the machine after noticing Mr Shore was in trouble however he was unable to free him. He was freed by fire fighters who attended the scene. Mr Shore sustained two cracked ribs and a bruised heart and returned to work 4 days later.
On 30th July 2009 at Chester Magistrates' Court, Calder Industrial Materials pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of PUWER 1998 for failing to prevent access to the dangerous part of the machine. The company was fined £4,500 and ordered to pay costs of £1,050.
The firm has since installed an interlock gate and guarding to prevent employees from accessing the conveyor.
Bruce Jones, HSE inspector said: "Mr Shore was badly injured because Calder Industrial Materials failed to prevent him from gaining access to dangerous machinery.
"Fixed guards and a padlocked gate should have prevented Mr Shore from entering the machine and accessing the underside of a tipping table, which is used to tip debris on to a conveyor belt. But the guards and gate were not installed until after the incident."
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