Chester Crown Court heard how a worker for Nick Brookes Recycling Limited, which carries out commercial and industrial waste services, was dragged into an unguarded conveyor resulting in his right arm having to be amputated up to his shoulder.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, which occurred on 8 August 2013, found the conveyor belt was in extremely poor condition and access to the belt was possible as it was unguarded.
The employee was working on an ‘infeed conveyor’ which transfers waste brought by skip wagons onto a picking line, the HSE said.
Jamming
The court was told by prosecutors that the conveyor was jamming frequently in the run up to the incident and there was a lack of information, instruction, training and supervision provided by the company to it employees, the HSE claimed.
Nick Brookes Recycling Limited, of Green Lane, Wardle, Nantwich, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and was fined £80,000 and ordered to pay costs of £13,000.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Adam McMahon said: “Had the company assessed the risk, implemented the correct control measures and guarded the machine then the horrific incident could have been prevented.”
When contacted by letsrecycle.com, Nick Brookes Recycling Limited could not be reached for comment.
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