A textiles company has been fined £60,000 after an employee suffered serious injuries their right arm in an incident at a factory operated by Pin Croft Dyeing and Printing Co. Limited in Market Street, Adlington, on 20 June 2022.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the employee had been operating a large fabric spooling machine when the brake malfunctioned. During an attempt to manually slow the rotation of the machine, he broke both major bones in his forearm when his sleeve was caught by a rotating spindle.
Despite the company being aware of the risk posed by the moving spindle, they failed to either remove or suitably guard this part of the machinery.
As a result of his injuries, the man, who was right-handed, spent four nights in hospital and was unable to return to work for six months.
Preston Magistrates Court heard that Pin Croft Dyeing and Printing Co. Limited of Adlington Works, Market Street, Adlington, Lancashire had neither guarded nor removed the exposed grooved spindle despite being aware of the risk it posed to employees.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and was ordered to pay £2.147 costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on 31 January 2024.
After the hearing, HSE inspector David Bellis said: “This man’s injuries were serious but they could have been much worse. The whole incident and its consequences could have been avoided if basic safeguards had been put in place. “At HSE we would like highlight that all employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”
Regularly reviewing machinery and equipment as part of a preventative maintenance and safety regime will help spot hazards and ensure equipment is maintained in safe working order. Inspections ensure that engineers can take action before faults / hazards cause minor injury, serious harm or death.
TakeAIM is a safety inspection and maintenance APP (free on both GooglePlay and App Store) which enables companies to complete inspections of absolutely ANY equipment type. Coupled with a web platform which provides analysis, visibility and insights to help manage workplace equipment. Each inspection is automatically sent to management via wifi (inspections can be completed without wifi - and sent once connection is re-established) with the ability to attach photos or annotations to provide additional information on faults or advisories found.
The web platform also hosts a maintenance log which allows you to easily monitor the time taken to resolve issues, keep track of who is responsible and even keep a record of replacement parts ordered. Registering an account takes a minute, plus you'll have access to the system for 30 days completely free (no credit card details required).
Our customers have used the TakeAIM for completing all manner of obscure equipment inspections (from snow mobiles to wacker plates) as a result of how easy it is to create their own checklists. At the time of writing we have not had anyone created a checklist for spooling machines but based on several HSE press releases regarding faulty or un-guarded machines, maybe it is about time companies considered adding our TakeAIM app to their management tools.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the employee had been operating a large fabric spooling machine when the brake malfunctioned. During an attempt to manually slow the rotation of the machine, he broke both major bones in his forearm when his sleeve was caught by a rotating spindle.
Despite the company being aware of the risk posed by the moving spindle, they failed to either remove or suitably guard this part of the machinery.
As a result of his injuries, the man, who was right-handed, spent four nights in hospital and was unable to return to work for six months.
Preston Magistrates Court heard that Pin Croft Dyeing and Printing Co. Limited of Adlington Works, Market Street, Adlington, Lancashire had neither guarded nor removed the exposed grooved spindle despite being aware of the risk it posed to employees.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. They were fined £60,000 and was ordered to pay £2.147 costs at a hearing at Preston Magistrates Court on 31 January 2024.
After the hearing, HSE inspector David Bellis said: “This man’s injuries were serious but they could have been much worse. The whole incident and its consequences could have been avoided if basic safeguards had been put in place. “At HSE we would like highlight that all employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”
Regularly reviewing machinery and equipment as part of a preventative maintenance and safety regime will help spot hazards and ensure equipment is maintained in safe working order. Inspections ensure that engineers can take action before faults / hazards cause minor injury, serious harm or death.
TakeAIM is a safety inspection and maintenance APP (free on both GooglePlay and App Store) which enables companies to complete inspections of absolutely ANY equipment type. Coupled with a web platform which provides analysis, visibility and insights to help manage workplace equipment. Each inspection is automatically sent to management via wifi (inspections can be completed without wifi - and sent once connection is re-established) with the ability to attach photos or annotations to provide additional information on faults or advisories found.
The web platform also hosts a maintenance log which allows you to easily monitor the time taken to resolve issues, keep track of who is responsible and even keep a record of replacement parts ordered. Registering an account takes a minute, plus you'll have access to the system for 30 days completely free (no credit card details required).
Our customers have used the TakeAIM for completing all manner of obscure equipment inspections (from snow mobiles to wacker plates) as a result of how easy it is to create their own checklists. At the time of writing we have not had anyone created a checklist for spooling machines but based on several HSE press releases regarding faulty or un-guarded machines, maybe it is about time companies considered adding our TakeAIM app to their management tools.
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