Worker sues firm for R2.8m after losing fingers
A MACHINE operator who worked at a Rosslyn, Pretoria, company that manufactures, among others, motor parts, is claiming R2.8 million from his former employer after he lost four fingers on his right hand when it was crushed in a pressing machine.
Vincent Moleya, 25, is blaming his former employer – Praga Technical – for his misfortune. But the company said he has only himself to blame.
Moleya and six other workers at the factory – who lost their fingers, allegedly while working with the pressing machines – have instituted damages claims against the company. Four of them have issued summons, while two are in the process of doing so. Each operator is launching his own application. These will be heard independently because each case is based on different incidents.
Moleya’s case was due to start in the High Court in Pretoria yesterday but was postponed to a date still to be determined. This is because the trial is expected to be longer than anticipated and a judge will have to be allocated to deal with the matter.
Moleya’s hand was smashed when a metal-sheet presser came down on it on August 12, 2013.
He said his employer had been negligent in failing to have adequate safety measures in place.
As a result of his right hand being crushed, his ring, index and middle fingers, as well as his thumb, had to be amputated. Moleya said he was disabled and unable to work. He is claiming about R2m for loss of income, R500 000 for future medical expenses and R300 000 in general damages.
Denying liability, the factory said Moleya had suffered the injuries due to his own negligence. He had not adhered to the safety instructions and inserted his hand in the machine when it was not safe to do so. It was claimed he was “horsing around” with a fellow worker, when he lost his balance and reached out for the machine to break a fall.