Risk, Health and Safety Information

Marquee company fined after welder severs finger

A Derbyshire company that designs and manufactures marquees has been fined after a welder severed a finger on an unguarded drill.

Derby Magistrates’ Court was told that Crocker Bros Ltd failed to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous moving parts of the equipment at its premises on Station Road, Chellaston, on 19 June 2012.

An investigation by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that the injured worker, a 52-year-old fabricator welder from Derby, who does not want to be named, was working alone on a pedestal drill in the company’s workshop when the incident happened.

While drilling holes into a section of aluminium, one of the welding gloves he was wearing became entangled in the running drill, which was unguarded.

He was unable to reach the stop button and as he pulled his hand away from the drill he severed the ring finger on his right hand. He was off work for three months, but has since returned.

Magistrates heard that had the drill been suitably guarded the incident could have been avoided. A chuck guard was fitted afterwards to prevent further injuries.

Magistrates also heard that safety guidelines, including Crocker Bros’ own risk assessment, made it clear that wearing certain types of gloves while operating drills posed a danger because of the risk of entanglement.

Crocker Bros Ltd, of Station Road, Chellaston, Derbyshire, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £4,076 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 at an earlier hearing

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Edward Walker said:

"Incidents involving entanglement on rotating tools like drills are fairly common, but they are all easily avoided if manufacturers like Crocker Bros follow their own risk assessments and provide suitable guarding.

"Such guarding is readily available and inexpensive, so there is no excuse for failing to take action – and to take action before someone if injured.

"Crocker Bros should also have prevented the use of welding gloves while operating the drill, as they said they would in their risk assessment. It is well-known that the risk of entanglement increases if the wrong type of gloves are worn."