A Bristol machining firm has been fined £10,000 for failing to guard dangerous parts of a lathe, which led to a worker fracturing his skull.
Ian Spicer, from Hartcliffe, was operating a CNC machine at Mil Tu Fit Engineering in August last year when he was hit by a metal bar.
The 34-year-old suffered a compressed skull fracture, wide gashes to his chest, a dislodged breast plate, a broken wrist, and several other smaller wounds, Bristol Crown Court heard.
The court heard that a lack of adequate guarding resulted in the worker suffering serious head and chest injuries.
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The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which prosecuted Mil Tu Fit, discovered that the company had two CNC lathes at its plant, one for machining short parts only and another with a bar feed attachment and guard, designed for longer machining parts.
However, because the machine for longer parts was already in use, Mr Spicer was told to use the other lathe, without the bar feed attachment, to machine long metal bars at roughly 2.5 metres in length.
The court was told he was advised to put a barrier of empty drums at the end of the machine in order to fence-off the rotating bar from passers-by, a practice the company had used in the past.
As the machine was operating, the bar became unstable, bent under its own weight and struck Mr Spicer, who was thrown to the ground and knocked unconscious.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Mehtaab Hamid said although Mr Spicer had returned to work since the incident, it was not in his previous role as a machine operator and was on a part-time basis.
"Some nine months after the incident, Mr Spicer is still suffering from severe headaches, chest, back and joint pains, as well as dizziness and flashbacks. At this point, his work future is uncertain," Mr Hamid said.
"Had the company used the appropriate equipment which was available on site, this incident could have been avoided and Mr Spicer would not have suffered these terrible injuries," he added.
Mil Tu Fit Engineering was found guilty of breaching the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
It was fined £10,000 ordered to pay £3,632 in costs.
Posted by Sarah Hughes
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Machining firm fined £10,000 over poor guarding
