Will finger loss inspire increased use of facilities management health and safety process among UK firms?
August 24th 14:22 Health and Safety
UK-based business could be encouraged to adopt facilities management health and safety process after a worker lost several finger in a incident on Tyneside.
Gary Burke, an employee of Formica Ltd in North Shields lost his little finger and section of two other digits while operating a laminating machine.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that the company had suffered consistent production issues with the machine.
North Tyneside Magistrates' fined the firm £8,000 and order the payment of £4,741.60 in costs after a guilty plea was entered to charges of breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
HSE Inspector Andrea Robbins, said: "Production problems such as misalignment of belts and nicks in the paper were a regular problem with this machine and had been occurring for a number of years - yet Formica Ltd had done little about it.
"It had become custom and practice for workers to try and rectify faults themselves."
