Steel manufacturer fined after worker’s hand crushed

The magistrates’ court, North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard how on 23 October 2015 a 51-year-old worker was removing leftover steel from the a machine called the Koch Straightener, used for straightening steel wire, when he trapped his hand between the rotating rollers inside the machine.

The worker suffered serious crush injuries to his hand and lost the top of his right index finger as a result of this incident at Rom Ltd’s site in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to identify the risks associated with workers manually operating this machine, nor were steps taken to ensure the machine was correctly guarded.

It was found the company also failed to provide the required level of supervision to this activity and as a result led to the worker suffering these injuries.

Rom Ltd of Castle Works, East Moors Road, Cardiff today pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, has been fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,200.63.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector David Keane said: “This man suffered a life-changing injury. The company failed to protect the worker from harm by not properly considering the risks associated with manually operating dangerous machinery such as this.”