Worker loses fingertips after recycling plant accident
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today warned businesses to make sure that workers and contractors are properly trained to carry out risk assessments and operate safe systems of work, as two companies were fined after a worker's fingers tips were amputated.
In 2004 two engineers were visiting a recycling plant to repair a large waste paper recycling machine, known as a shredder or hogger. The shredder had been damaged when the fork of a forklift truck was inadvertently loaded into it hidden within a load of waste paper.
Although the engineers filled in their company's risk assessment form before starting the job, they had only been instructed on how to fill in the form, and not how to actually make an assessment of the risks. When the panel of the shredder that allowed access to the damaged area failed to open as easily as the engineers had expected, they resorted to attempting to push the panel open using a hydraulic jack able to exert a force sufficient to lift 25 tonnes - the estimated weight of the panel being approximately 100kg.
The panel opened suddenly, but immediately shut again, trapping one of the engineer's right ring finger and little finger resulting in the loss of the tips of both fingers.
The HSE Inspector who investigated the case, said: "This incident demonstrates the importance of ensuring that employees are properly trained to carry out risk assessments and to properly operate permit-to-work systems - not just how to fill in forms. Risk assessments and permit-to-work systems are worthless unless companies make sure that employees are aware of what the hazards actually are and, therefore, carry out their work accordingly."
The HSE investigation revealed that the recycling plant had a number of types of permit-to-work documents and a permit was issued to the company that the engineers worked for. But the recycling plant had failed to ensure that employees who issued permits had been properly trained and did not have a clear understanding of how the permit-to-work system should have been operated.
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