A Halifax paper mill firm has been fined for safety breaches after a worker suffered severe crush injuries to his right hand.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the injured worker sustained serious crush injuries in September 2013 while changing a couch roll on a board machine at Sonoco Cores & Paper Ltd’s Halifax plant. The worker’s middle finger was severed in the machine and he required subsequent amputation of  both his index and ring fingers.  He is now registered as partly disabled.

Sonoco Cores & Paper Ltd of Stainland, Halifax pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and was fined £120,000.00 with £6,354.00 costs.

After the hearing, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Inspector Jackie Ferguson said: “The company failed to provide a safe system of work for changing couch rolls on a board machine. Their risk assessment for this type of work was not suitable or sufficient, it had identified the hazard , yet it did not consider the likelihood or severity of the risk and did not identify appropriate measures to prevent an uncontrolled fall of the machine’s hinged steel arm”

“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate action against those that fall below the required standards.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
2. More about the legislation referred to in this case can be found at: www.legislation.gov.uk/
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk