Firm fined £ 8k after health and safety breach

WORKERS were put at risk by dangerous machines said inspectors after checks at a factory in Washington.

One employee lost a finger while operating a milling machine at floral foam manufacturer Smithers- Oasis UK Ltd.

The firm has now been fined thousands of pounds after Health and Safety Executive ( HSE) inspectors carried out spot checks at two premises on the Crowther Industrial Estate.

Sunderland Magistrates’ Court heard that when the woman lost a finger on her left hand and broke another in May 2012, there were no measures in place to stop workers getting too close to risky moving parts of the machine.

The company fit guarding to the area, but it was not fully effective and HSE had to serve two improvement notices on machines at the Tilley Road and Crowther Road sites, which were both complied with.

Magistrates fined the firm £ 8,000 and ordered it to pay £ 6,630 in costs, after it admitted breaching health and safety regulations.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Paul Miller, said: “For a number of months, employees at two sites had been put at risk of serious injuries due to Smithers- Oasis UK Ltd failing to prevent access to dangerous parts on a substantial number of machines.

“This was despite a worker’s injury and visits by HSE. These failings could have led to further injuries to workers including cuts, amputations and crush injuries. The company was simply lucky that a more serious incident to the one in May 2012 did not occur.”