Company failed to put suitable measures in place to protect employees.
\nWorker suffered long-term damage to his hand following the incident.
\nHSE guidance emphasises importance of safe isolation procedures before cleaning machinery.<\/p>\n
A manufacturing company has been fined \u00a3340,000 after an employee was seriously injured while cleaning machinery at its site in Swindon.<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old man had been working a night shift for Tyco Electronics UK Limited at its premises on Faraday Road on 7 March 2023. He had been tasked with cleaning a machine used to manufacture pellets made from a mixture of raw materials. During the cleaning process, the worker manually raised the hydraulic ram inside the machine and opened the door. He then used his left hand to reach into the open space to clean the machine.<\/p>\n
The machine mentioned<\/p>\n
However, as he withdrew his arm, the door fell at the front of the machine and activated the hydraulic ram, trapping his limb. He managed to pull his arm free, tearing nerves and tendons, before shouting for help.<\/p>\n
He required three operations to reattach his fingers and spent ten days in hospital. He attended Southmead Hospital twice weekly for dressing changes and physiotherapy. He continues to experience loss of sensation and movement in his fingers, although he has regained some movement in his thumb.<\/p>\n
Close up of the hydraulic ram<\/p>\n
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Tyco Electronics UK Limited failed to put suitable and sufficient measures in place to prevent employees from being put at risk while cleaning the machine.<\/p>\n
The investigation also identified that employees had not been provided with sufficient information and instruction on how to use and clean the machine safely. Training was found to be inadequate, and employees were not suitably supervised.<\/p>\n
HSE guidance on safe use of work equipment<\/a> highlights the importance of following safe isolation and lock-off procedures before carrying out any maintenance or cleaning work on machinery. Employers must ensure that equipment is properly isolated from all power sources and that systems are regularly monitored and reviewed to prevent inadvertent start-up.<\/p>\n Tyco Electronics UK Limited, of Company Secretariat, Faraday Road, Swindon, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined \u00a3340,000 and ordered to pay costs of \u00a35,145 at Bristol Magistrates\u2019 Court on 17 April 2026.<\/p>\n After the hearing, HSE Inspector Emma Preston said<\/strong>:<\/p>\n \u201cMachinery accidents during maintenance and cleaning are all too common, often with serious consequences. This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Neenu Bains and supported by paralegal officer Hannah Snelling.<\/p>\n Further information:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Health and Safety Executive<\/a> (HSE) is Britain\u2019s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives. Company failed to put suitable measures in place to protect employees. Worker suffered long-term damage to his hand following the incident. HSE guidance emphasises importance of safe isolation procedures before cleaning machinery. A manufacturing company has been fined \u00a3340,000 after an employee was seriously injured while cleaning machinery at its site in Swindon. The 42-year-old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2276"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2276\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.safetyphoto.co.uk\/safety_news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cWorkers should ensure that machinery is properly isolated from all sources of power so that it cannot restart during the task.
\n\u201cIncidents like this can and should be prevented by following robust lock-off procedures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMore information about the legislation<\/a> referred to in this case is available.
\nFurther details on the latest HSE news releases<\/a> are available.
\nRelevant guidance can be found here Safe use of work equipment \u2013 HSE<\/a> and Using work equipment safely \u2013 HSE<\/a>.
\nHSE does not pass sentences, set guidelines or collect any fines imposed. Relevant sentencing guidelines must be followed unless the court is satisfied that it would be contrary to the interests of justice to do so.\u00a0 The sentencing guidelines for health and safety offences can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"