Joiner leaves trade after 2 injuries

A furniture workshop will benefit from their employers’ liability insurance after a worker severely injured his hand for the second time.

Simon Davies, 21, was working for Village Pine when he had badly cut his index finger, removed most of his nail and also broken the bone through a serious accident involving a blade.

Mr Davies was cutting a small groove into a pine door when it shot out of the machine, forcing his left hand onto a rotating blade.

This followed a very similar incident that occurred three weeks before from a circular saw, which resulted in seven enforcement notices being issued. The notices required specific improvements to be made at the workshop, and the unguarded and unsafe saw to be stopped completely.

At Reedley Magistrates’ Court Kenneth Bramhall and Gill Brown, who run the pine furniture workshop, both pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations 9(1) and 12 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

They were each fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in compensation to Mr Davies. Additionally they were to pay £2,000 each towards prosecution costs.

Michael Mullen, the investigating inspector at HSE, said:

“It is regrettable that a worker was badly injured twice in less than two months because basic health and safety measures were not in place.”

“Sadly, the standard of training needed to do this type of work safely had not been provided.”

Employers’ liability insurance will be one of the most valuable purchases a company can make which will provide protection in the event of any unforeseen occurrences.

Additional reading:

Quick guide to employers liability insurance

Penalties for breaching health and safety law