A fabric business in the north-west has been hit with a fine after it was found to have breached safety regulations, leading to an accident in which one of its employees was injured.
Flameproofings, a Bolton-based firm that treats fabrics that are used in curtains and sofas, appeared in court in relation to the incident. It involved a 39-year-old worker from the Lancashire town, who was flipped around inside a large rotating roller at the company's premises.
The man was dragged around the roller a total of three times, eventually emerging with cracked ribs and bruising on one side of his body. Immediately after the incident, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) opted to investigate and eventually prosecute Flameproofings.
After pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, the business was fined £6,000 and told it must also pay £3,600 in costs. Such a sentence illustrates how important it is for firms to ensure the safety of their staff and avoid these types of accident occurring.
Speaking after the court hearing, HSE inspector Emily Osborne said the man had been seriously injured as a result of the fact the firm did not do all it could to prevent somebody becoming entangled in the machine.
"Flameproofings failed to act on the findings of its own risk assessment and install a suitable guard on the machine. It should also have made sure the defective emergency stop button was fixed and working properly," she stated.
"Sadly, it took the injury of an employee for the company to realise it needed to take action to improve safety at the factory."
Other companies around the country still have the chance to ensure similar incidents do not occur at their premises in the months and years ahead. Perhaps the ultimate way is to invest in the very best safety equipment on the market and spend plenty of time educating staff about the dangers they face.
