IOSH working safely courses news: Firm fined after worker hurt by drill

Category: IOSH Working Safely
Friday 5th of March 2010

A construction company has been fined after one of its workers was injured when their arm became stuck in a rotating drill.

Steven Jones, an agency worker from Staffordshire, was working for Romtech in Cardiff when his right hand became trapped in a rotating drill bit on a radial arm drill.

His arm was dragged into the equipment, breaking both bones in his forearm and causing damage to his muscles. Mr Jones' injuries may have been worse had he not been able to press the emergency stop button with his left hand.

The company pleaded guilty to failing to take the necessary measures to ensure that workers were not placed in unnecessary danger when using machinery and received a £20,000 fine from Stafford Magistrates' Court.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Andrew Bowker said that the potential danger from radial drills has been known since the 1970s and it is not acceptable that these sorts of accidents are still happening.

Last year, ThysennKrupp Tallent, of County Durham, was fined following a similar incident when a worker's glove became entangled in a drill.

Posted by Lorna Shearer

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