The necessity of carrying out regular OHSAS 18001 training with staff has been emphasised by the prosecution of a manufacturing firm.

Romtech, based in East Moors Road, Cardiff, was fined £40,000 over an incident at its Cannock premises in which an employee's arm became caught in a radial arm drill.

Steven Jones, 28, from Staffordshire, suffered two broken bones in his forearm and serious muscle damage after his right-hand glove became caught in the drill he was operating and dragged him into the machine.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Andrew Bowker pointed out that his injuries could have been significantly worse had he not been able to deactivate the drill with his left hand.

Mr Bowker commented: "The potential safety risks associated with entanglement on radial arm drilling machines have been well known for decades and control measures have been well documented."

He added that the fact that this type of incident still occurs is unacceptable given the guidance available on the subject.

HSE statistics show that accidents involving contact with moving machinery account for 11 per cent of injuries in the manufacturing industry.

Posted by Andy Finch

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