The incident happened at ADM Milling Limited at its site on Earlstrees Industrial Estate in Corby on 28th June 2023. David Wood, who was 59 at the time, had been carrying out maintenance work on a packer closing station. However, the 800-kilogram machine became unbalanced and tipped backwards, trapping his left hand. This resulted in the little finger on the hand being severed.
The incident was investigated by the HSE which found the company had failed to safely manage the risks of people performing maintenance at its factory. ADM Milling Limited were required to fully assess the task that the injured person was assigned, to ensure that his health and safety was not put at risk.
ADM Milling Limited, of Corby, Northamptonshire, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £7,517 in costs.
HSE inspector Abbey Hodson said, “This incident was wholly avoidable. The case should highlight to industry that all maintenance tasks, whether they are planned or unplanned, should be carefully assessed and reviewed to ensure that anyone under their control is protected from harm. Had this task been competently risk assessed, other control measures that prevented this incident would have been identified.”
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