Council fined after school technician’s severed finger incident

A local authority responsible for a school has been sentenced following an incident where a technician’s finger was severed by a circular saw.

Adi Soday, 29, worked as a technician at The Forest School in Horsham, in the design and technology (DT) department. On 13 June 2022, he was operating a circular bench saw to cut pieces of wood for a DT lesson.

Pushing a sheet of wood through the saw, Mr Soday felt a pain in his index finger and immediately switched off the machine. His severed finger was lying on the bench.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that West Sussex County Council, the local authority responsible for the Forest School, failed to ensure Mr Soday was trained to use the bench circular saw.

Mr Soday had used the saw many times before, but had not been trained how to use it safely.

Appearing at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 3 July 2024, West Sussex County Council pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. The local authority was fined £16,000, ordered to pay £4,294.60 in costs and a victim surcharge of £190.

HSE Inspector Russell Beckett said:

“Workers must be trained properly when using high risk woodworking such as bench circular saws. This incident could have been prevented had West Sussex County Council provided Mr Soday with proper training.”

Responding to the sentence, a West Sussex County Council spokesperson said:

“We have accepted responsibility for our part in the significant injury Mr Soday sustained and pleaded guilty to the health and safety charge.

“We took immediate action following the incident in June 2022 to reduce the risk of anything similar happening in schools in West Sussex with design and technology workshops.

“This included reaffirming that all schools maintained by the county council with such workshops understand their duties under the regulations, and supply evidence of compliance to West Sussex County Council.

“Schools are required to provide assurance that staff using equipment and machinery have been adequately trained and that proper records are held. The council’s health and safety team conduct visits to monitor compliance and support schools to meet their obligations.”

Visit BrAInbox today where you can find answers to questions like What can I do to reduce the risk of accidents when using machinery?

• Minister wants feedback from business in first 100 days
• Good signs for GDP as it rises 0.4%
• HSE annual fatality stats show rises in Construction and falls from height
• HMRC worker wins harassment case over ‘hostile’ office