Woman may sue over amputation

A woman who suffered the amputation of three of her fingers may sue her employer.

The individual, who does not wish to be named, was helping a colleague remove aluminium foil from a 130-tonne power press that had become jammed when the incident occurred.

She was working at I2R Packaging Solutions, which is based at Stafford Park in Telford, Shropshire.

The other employee opened the protective guards which stops the machine automatically but had not switched off the pneumatic energy.

Because this stores some power, it meant part of the device snapped up and caught the worker's hand.

The firm pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches and was issued a fine of £10,000, as well as being ordered to pay legal costs.

Commenting on the case, Health and Safety Executive inspector Katharine Walker said: "While the machine had some protective guards and safety mechanisms in place, it seems they were not adequate to prevent danger to operatives during processes such as clearing blockages."

Posted by Helen Jones

22/07/2010 09:07