Risk, Health and Safety Information

Worker suffers severe burns at Staffordshire firm

A Leek company that makes webbing for seatbelts and harnesses has been fined after an employee trapped both arms in a machine and suffered severe burns.

Stewart Wood, a dye machine operative at Marling Leek Limited, was working a night shift on August 2 last year when webbing became wrapped around the machine's rollers.

He climbed onto the machine without isolating it to try to unravel the webbing and his left arm was drawn in between the unguarded rollers. He tried to push the top roller upwards to open a gap but his right arm was drawn in as well.

A colleague outside heard Mr Wood scream but did not know how to stop the machine so ran to get another employee. By the time he was freed he had suffered severe burns and skin damage.

Mr Wood, 60, of Leek, was taken to North Staffordshire hospital before being transferred to the special burns unit in Birmingham where he remained for two weeks. He has had skin grafts on both arms and has permanent loss of sensation to the injured area. He was off work for a number of weeks but has since returned to work for the company.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that Marling Leek had failed to implement a safe system of work for the job Mr Wood was doing and had exposed employees to risks over several years.

Stafford Magistrates' Court was told that despite Mr Wood having worked at the company for 12 years he had never received adequate information, training or written instructions on how to carry out the common task of removing wrap-arounds safely.

HSE served two Improvement Notices after the incident. The first required Marling Leek to carry out a thorough risk assessment to include dealing with wrap-arounds and working at height.

A second, not connected to the incident, concerned the electrics in the powder dye room, as they were found not to be waterproof, despite being in a wet environment.

Marling Leek Limited, of Marling Mills, Leek, Staffordshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,827.

After the hearing, HSE Inspector Lyn Spooner said:

"Mr Wood was lucky not to have been more seriously injured or even killed. The rollers pulled both his arms in above his head and trapped him for what can have only been a terrifying number of minutes.

"The consideration given to the risks of operating this machine was not suitable or sufficient, and supervision and monitoring was also inadequate. The picture that emerged of Marling Leek is one that failed to develop an effective safety management system. In doing so they exposed their employees over a prolonged period to significant risk every day they came to work, ending in a tragic incident that could and should have been prevented.

"There is no excuse for companies failing to discharge their health and safety duties, especially when these failings lead to someone being hurt. HSE will continue to take action against those who fail to protect their employees.