Knutsford-based Albis (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to health and safety violations in Manchester Magistrates’ Court

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A Knutsford company was fined more than £30,000 for an employee whose finger was cut off when his hand was trapped in a machine.

Polymer distribution company Albis (UK) Ltd pleaded guilty to health and safety violations in Manchester Magistrates Court last month.

The court heard on October 12, 2018, how an employee of the company located in the Parkgate Industrial Zone refueled the autoloader when the chute was blocked to prevent the product from falling into the mixer.

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The worker turned on the mixer and put his hand into the chute to clear the blockage. At this time, the butterfly valve was released.

This caused the index finger of his right hand to get stuck, causing the tip of the index finger below the first joint and the tip of the middle finger above the first joint to be lost.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company made changes to the roof area of ​​the house some time before the incident.

For these reasons, the length of the chute must be shortened in order to be able to reach the dangerous parts of the machine.

After the chute was shortened, no risk assessment was performed, and the operator did not fully understand how to unblock the autoloader.

The machine was also reconfigured, and the safety manager did not know that when the interlock was broken, the valve was allowed to continue to move.

When the cover of the mixer was opened, the machine should have been cut off, but it failed to do so, causing an accident.

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Albis (UK) Ltd was fined 33,000 pounds and ordered to pay 3,684 pounds. After the hearing, HSE inspector Martin Heywood said: "This could have been easily avoided.

"Employers should ensure that risks are assessed and a safe working system is established for the operation of all machines.

"Employers should also ensure that sufficient information, guidance and training are provided to all those who use it."

The company stated that when the sentence was pronounced, the court cited ALBIS's "model health and safety record" as the basic factor in determining the amount of fines, and the record was not affected by any previous incidents or convictions.

Josey Bagnall, Managing Director of ALBIS (UK) Ltd: "We deeply regret this accident. Every workplace accident is too many.

"Preventing and avoiding accidents at work is our organization's top priority, which is why we invest in comprehensive occupational safety measures and continue to develop these measures."