Personal injury news
16/01/2012

Factory worker suffers crush injuries in work accident

A major high street chocolate retailer has been fined after an employee sustained severe personal injury in an accident at work.

The 37-year-old from Derbyshire had been operating a foil wrapping machine at the company premises when the work accident took place. As she attempted to clean the machine's output chute, her right hand became trapped between the rotating parts of the mechanism.

The employee suffered personal injuries, including a broken middle finger which prevented her from returning to work for ten weeks.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector told Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court that the machine's safety guards were inadequate and were below the required legal safety standards.

The company admitted a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. It was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £7,680 in court costs as a result of the accident at work.