Worker suffers hand injury
- Safety Flash
- Published on 13 July 2017
- Generated on 10 January 2026
- IMCA SF 17/17
- 1 minute read
The UK Health & Safety Executive (UK HSE) reports that a company was fined after a worker suffered a serious hand injury after a machinery incident.
What happened?
The incident occurred when the man's hand became entangled with the rotating workpiece of a manually operated metalwork lathe. The resulting injury later requiring surgical amputation to part of his left index finger.
What went wrong? What were the causes?
An investigation by the UK HSE found that:
- The machine operators were using an unsafe system of work.
- The company failed to identify if workers were routinely using this dangerous work practice.
- The lathe used by the injured person had a faulty emergency footbrake – and this had been reported to the company earlier, but the lathe had not been taken out of service.
What lessons were learnt?
- The company failed to identify that employees were routinely carrying out an unsafe work practice when hand applying emery cloth to a workpiece rotating at speed.
- The company had failed to take the faulty lathe out of service.
Related safety flashes
-
IMCA SF 03/14
13 March 2014
-
IMCA SF 02/11
25 February 2011
-
IMCA SF 09/03
1 August 2003
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