Work injury news
23/08/2011

Sweet factory fined after employee suffers a severed finger

A sweet manufacturer has been fined after an employee suffered personal injuries in an accident at work.

Blackpool Magistrates' Court heard how the 25-year-old worker had been operating a sweet making machine when it became jammed. The worker removed the safety guard, in order to clear the blockage, but the rotating parts of the machine, used to flatten the sweets, caught his hand and his index finger was severed at the top knuckle.

The employee needed five months off work to recover after doctors were unable to reattach the finger due to damage done to the nerves.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the incident revealed that the worker had access to the rotating parts in the machine despite the power still being on.

The Blackpool factory pleaded guilty to a breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £3,400 and ordered to pay £4,568 in court costs.

It has not been reported whether the personal injury victim will be pursuing an accident at work compensation claim through the civil courts.