Worker suffers life-changing injuries at metal processing company

A metal processing company has been fined £12,000 following an incident that inflicted life-changing injuries on one of its workers

The incident took place in May 2022, at Independent Slitters Limited’s Park Street premises in Oldbury, West Midlands. The company carries out metal slitting – a process where coils of metal are split into various lengths.

Peter Daniels, 53, a husband and father of one, was involved in setting up slitting lines where the blade would cut the metal. When the incident took place, Mr Daniels’ right hand was degloved and his middle finger badly damaged.

He was in hospital for 11 days, where he underwent surgeries. He received several skin grafts, and his middle finger was eventually amputated as it could not be saved.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident, finding that Independent Slitters Limited had no safe system of work in place for setting and checking the blades on the slitting head rollers. There was no suitable or sufficient risk assessment for the wide slitting line, as it did not consider risks to employees setting the blades.

Appearing at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court in March 2024, Independent Slitters Limited pleaded guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The judge handed them a £12,000 fine and ordered them to pay £4,592 in costs.

Speaking afterward, HSE Inspector Sarah Smewin said:

“The injuries that Mr Daniels suffered have impacted on all aspects of his life and resulted in him having to undergo numerous operations.

“The risks arising from working near to the dangerous moving parts of machinery are well known. Employers must assess their workplace for these risks and act to ensure that effective measures are in place to prevent access to dangerous, moving parts of machinery.”

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