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A worker was pinned against a rotating metal workpiece while operating a lathe during a late shift after an emery cloth he was using got entangled.

During a late shift on 7 October 2021 the 34-year-old employee was instructed to create a metal workpiece for a machine. However, as he applied an emery cloth by hand to polish the metal, the cloth became entangled and wrapped around the workpiece drawing him into the rotating machinery. His sweatshirt sleeve also got entangled pinning him against the rotating workpiece, which is how he sustained the fatal head injuries.

When the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident, it identified several failures that had contributed to his death. First, the com[any did not provide the employee with suitable training, so that he could safely use emery cloth on lathes. Second, the business should have undertaken a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, which would have identified alternative methods, such as applying the emery cloth using a stick.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching s2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The Suffolk-based firm was fined £330,000 and ordered to pay £4,373 costs at a hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on 5 December 2024.

Source – IOSH

HSCS Scotland Promoting a Healthier Workplace Through Safety
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