Company fined after worker injured by conveyor

Company fined after worker injured by conveyor

A manufacturing company was fined after a worker slipped into a conveyor suffering multiple fractures to his left leg and injuries to both thighs.

Nottingham Crown Court heard how on 3rd June 2013 a worker at SPS Aerostructures Limited of Nottinghamshire was cleaning excess metal ‘swarf’ from a conveyor to try to clear a blockage. One of the guards to the conveyor had been removed and the worker slipped and fell into it whilst it was running. The worker was trapped in the machine for approximately twenty minutes.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, found that the company failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the conveyor. Employees were routinely accessing the conveyor without first isolating it, and the guards were easily removed which allowed access to the conveyor whilst it was still running.

SPS Aerostructures Limited was fined a total of £60,000, with costs of £11,038 after pleading guilty to offences under Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).