Equipment supplier fined as machinery injures worker

Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd, a supplier of equipment to a number of industries including oil and gas, has been sentenced in court after an employee suffered serious injuries at their premises.

Miroslaw Pancyzk had been cleaning a lathe on 4 April 2022, using emery paper to polish a metal bar. The paper snagged on a rotating workpiece on the lathe, drawing Mr Pancyzk’s gloved hands into the machine.

Before the machine could be switched off, his wrists and middle finger were fractured. He lost part of his right-hand ring finger and had to wear casts for six weeks after the incident.

Investigators from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd failed to implement adequate means of protection for employees. At the time the incident occurred, the lathe had no chuck guard in place, and there was no tooling to allow the task to be undertaken safely. Harper UK had not completed a risk assessment for the lathe involved.

Harper UK (Aberdeen) Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 33(1)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company were sentenced to pay a fine of £10,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 18 June 2024.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Graham McEvoy said:

“This incident was easily preventable and the risk should have been identified. Employers should make sure they properly assess and apply effective control measures to minimise the risk from dangerous parts of machinery.”

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