The 31-year-old man, who has not been named, had been working for Celloglas Limited in Cross Green Industrial Estate when his hand was crushed by a laminating machine, costing the commercial printing company £100,000 in fines. He was attempting to fix a laminating machine in November 2020 when his right hand was drawn into the device and crushed between two rollers.
The man sustained soft tissue crush injures, nerve damage and contact burns to his right wrist leading to him suffering with anxiety and PTSD. The worker claimed he realised the machine had broken while he was feeding the device with paper. His injuries to his hand meant he could not drive for seven months following the incident.
Celloglas Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay £5,165.09 in costs at Leeds Magistrates’ Court on August 30, 2023. HSE inspector Darian Dundas commented: “A review of existing risk assessments for the machine should have identified that a safe system of work was required to keep operatives safe from harm. Had such a review taken place then this incident could so easily have been avoided.”
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