This incident may have been prevented if
appropriate guarding had been provided.
Click below for extractive industry
guidance on guarding, produced by myself and Keith Mallinson during our time
with Aggregate Industries UK in August 2005, published by the MPA through
www.safequarry.com
Taken from Agg-Net
Employee suffers serious leg injury
while clearing blockage in poorly guarded brick-making machine
A ROMSEY brick-making firm has been prosecuted after one of its
employees suffered crush injuries to his leg in a poorly guarded machine.
Nikoloz Demetrashvili was in hospital for three weeks with a
multiple fracture of his right leg after the incident at Michelmersh Brick
& Tile Co. Ltd on 12 October 2011.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident
and found that flawed protective measures meant the worker was able to access
dangerous parts of a brick-making machine while it was still ‘live’.
Southampton Magistrates heard this week that Mr Demetrashvili had
been trying to free a blockage caused when two trays dropped on a brick mould
rather than one.
In an attempt to clear it, he followed work instructions and
disabled pressure-sensitive mats designed to prevent access to the machine as
he needed power running to free the trapped tray. Although the power was on,
the machine was not in production mode but sensors were still active.
Mr Demetrashvili then climbed on the machine to reach the tray, as
he had done on previous occasions to free blockages. As he leant over the
turntable and pulled the tray, a sensor activated and the turntable rotated,
crushing his leg and trapping him in the machine.
After the incident, the HSE served an Improvement Notice on
Michelmersh Brick and Tile Co Ltd requiring further safeguarding of the
machine. The company complied by removing a switch that allowed the pressure
mat to be overridden, meaning it is no longer possible for operators to access
the machinery while there is power running to it.
Michelmersh Brick and Tile Company Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching
Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
and Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
1998. They were fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay £4,945 in costs.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Daniel Hilbourne said: ‘This case
highlights the importance of ensuring proper guarding of dangerous machinery at
all times. It is vital for employers to ensure that staff cannot get
dangerously close to machinery that is either moving or is likely to move with
people in the immediate area.
‘Had the pressure mat been configured properly, it would have
prevented the machine from operating with anyone near it. Sadly, Mr Demetrashvili
has been left with very serious and life-changing injuries because of safety
failures that could easily have been avoided.
‘This prosecution is a reminder to firms of the need to carefully
consider the risks of machinery and to identify and implement adequate controls
to protect their employees.’
