A worker operating a foot pedal saw came into contact with the rotating blade, suffering a severed hand and wrist which needed surgical intervention to reattach.
Birmingham Magistrates’ Court heard that an investigation by the HSE into the 2016 incident found that Pipework Engineering Services Limited (PESL) had failed to install the machine correctly and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. This meant that it could be operated from a position that took the operator very close to the saw’s moving blade.
Pipework Engineering Services Limited of Highgate, Birmingham pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 17 (2) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment 1998, was fined £24,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,087.16.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Principal Inspector Geoffrey Brown said: “The company failed to ensure the machinery was set up in a safe manner and as a result the worker suffered life changing injuries.
“To prevent future, similar accidents it is essential that duty holders install and set up machines correctly and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.”
