Broken Arm Caused in Workplace Accident
Allevard Springs Ltd of Tonypandy have been fined after an HSE investigation found it was at fault in an accident that led to one of its employees becoming impaled by steel bars and suffering a broken arm.
Steven Rowe, 49, was seriously injured while operating a bar drawling line machine, used to prepare steel bar lengths for processing into springs. The accident took place at the Clydach Vale premises of the company.
On 28 January 2011, Mr Rowe had noticed that the bars exiting the straightening machine he was operating were not hitting a sensor. This could have resulted in jamming problems for the machine as a whole as the bars would not be properly aligned as they moved into the next part of the machine.
Mr Rowe realised he needed to enter the machine to adjust an air pressure regulator to remedy the alignment problem. He did so by entering the machine through a sliding door. Whilst adjusting the air pressure, two steel bars of 10.5mm diameter and two metres length, shot out of the machine, piercing his right forearm. Whilst fighting off further steel bars from piercing his left arm, a colleague of Mr Rowe managed to shut the whole machine down.
Rehabilitation Ongoing for Worker Who Suffered Broken Arm
As well as 14 stitches in his left arm, Mr Rowe suffered a broken arm on his right hand side and is still in the process of receiving rehabilitation for his work injuries over a year on from the event.
The Health and Safety Executive found in their investigation that Allevard Springs Ltd had not taken measures to ensure an adequately controlled environment with regard to exposure to the steel bars in the machine, and that there were no safety measures or regulations in place should an accident occur in or around the machine, whilst it was in operation.
Hugh Emment of the HSE said:
“Serious incidents involving machinery which is not, or inadequately, guarded are unfortunately still a common event.
“Incidents often result in the injured person having to deal with significant, long-term negative consequences for themselves and their families.
“Employers should ensure that machinery is suitably and sufficiently assessed. This includes taking into account relevant guidance and standards, so that all necessary guarding is in place and maintained in a good condition.”
Have you got a Broken Arm due to Negligence in a Working Environment?
Victoria is a specialist personal injury solicitor who can help you to claim compensation.
The broken arm that Steven Rowe suffered in a workplace accident could have been prevented had his employers acted in a responsible way regarding the operation of heavy machinery on their premises.
If you have suffered a work injury through no fault of your own you could be entitled to seek personal injury compensation. Our work injury specialists have dealt with cases within many different types of injury and all over the country, from Swansea, Cardiff, Wrexham and over into Bristol, Chester and Liverpool.
Call us today on 0800 0193 515 or alternatively click here to fill out a few simple details and one of our work injury experts can guide you through the claims process.
Related posts:
- Thorntons Worker Suffers Fractured Finger in Derbyshire Factory Accident Fractured Finger Caused by Faulty Machine The BBC reports how...
- Severe Hand Injury Results in Fine For Door Manufacturers £25,000 fine after Hand Injury Caused by Door Press SIG...
- Worker Suffers Fractured Pelvis in Warehouse Accident HSE Fine Company Due to Fractured Pelvis of Worker The...
- £650,000 in Teacher Compensation Paid Out in Scotland in the Last Year Stress Levels Higher than Ever as Teacher Compensation Pay-outs Increase...
- Bubble Wrap Machine causes Worker to Suffer Severed Fingers Buckinghamshire Factory Worker Suffers Severed Fingers due to Breach in...
