Hull firm fined fined over worker's hand injury
A Hull firm has been fined for safety breaches after a worker suffered injuries to his hand while operating a laminating machine.
Hull Magistrates' Court heard that Steven Spencer, 36, had his left hand drawn into the rollers at Excel Laminating Ltd, on Leads Road, as he was feeding paper through the machine.
Two of his fingers were badly damaged and his middle finger was lacerated.
The firm was fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £5,451 in costs.
'Painful and debilitating'
Mr Spencer had only worked at the firm for three weeks prior to the incident on 29 January 2010.
He was in hospital for four days and needed two operations.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said an investigation found "the guarding of the laminating rollers was inadequate and did not prevent access to the crush hazard posed by the roller pairs, or the roller and plasterboard".
After the hearing, HSE inspector Mark Welsh said: "Mr Spencer's painful and debilitating injury should not and need not have happened.
"The incident was preventable with the provision of an adequate guarding mechanism."