Safety lapses led to worker injury
12/08/2011
A company in South Wales has been fined £20,000 after an employee suffered a serious accident at work while operating production line machinery.
Euro Clad Ltd, a metal roofing company, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after Darren Gillard, 46, suffered a serious wrist injury.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that safety failings were to blame for the accident. The HSE said the worker had been able to gain access to the production line through a defective interlocked gate, which had been tied open.
Mr Gillard, from Cardiff, was employed to make metal roof panels at the company's Wentloog factory. Following the incident, he underwent three operations to insert a metal plate into his wrist and required a skin graft. He returned to work four months later.
Euro Clad Ltd, of Wentloog Corporate Park, Wentloog, was prosecuted for failing to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, and for not checking the guards or interlocks were in place at the time.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 11(3) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment. It was also ordered to pay costs of £6,000.
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