Bristol firm fined £20,000 after worker hits head on cutter
The owner of a Bristol lighting manufacturer has been fined £20,000 after an employee suffered head injuries from machinery that was not properly guarded.
Darren Wring, trading as Fineline, in Failand, Somerset, pleaded guilty to a health and safety breach at Weston-super-Mare Magistrates Court.
Rolf Weber sustained minor head injuries on 5 February 2010, after going into the working area to remove a finished work piece and inadvertently hitting his head on the cutter.
Christine Haberfield, HSE Inspector said: "Fortunately, Mr Weber's injuries were fairly minor, but the cutter on which he hit his head was rotating at 18,000rpm and he could have been very seriously injured or even killed.
Haberfield added: "It is vital that dangerous machinery is properly safeguarded. In this case, the cutting area should have been enclosed with doors that were linked to the operation of the machine to prevent anybody going into the danger area while the machine was running."
