Plastic firm fined after worker's death in accident at work

A firm has been fined GBP 160,000 and ordered to pay GBP 32,000 in costs after a technician at a plastic products factory in Cornwall was killed in an accident at work.

Shaun O'Dwyer was crushed between the plates on a machine used to make plastic lids in the incident at Curver UK Ltd's factory in May 2008.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the firm had failed to provide adequate safety measures to prevent an accident at work.

Truro Crown Court heard that Mr O'Dwyer needed to access the plastic mouldings machine's plates in order to prepare the machinery.

This practice was normally done via a guard which, when opened, prevented the machine from operating, but in this case one of the conveyors on the machine had been removed and Mr O'Dwyer was able to access the machine through an unguarded gap.

While he was preparing the equipment it started to operate and the plates closed, crushing him at a pressure of over 1,000 tonnes.

HSE inspector, Trevor Hay, said the tragic incident could have been avoided if the firm had observed guidance from the British Plastics Federation and the British Standards Institution.

"Conveyors should be bolted into position, or fitted with an electrical cut-off switch which removes power to the machine when the conveyor is taken away.

"Effective guarding should prevent access to dangerous machinery by workers, or an automatic system should cut off the power supply if someone is working inside," he added.

The company pleaded guilty to committing a breach of Regulation 11 (1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations under Section 33(1) (c) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Last year, a plastic bag manufacturing firm was fined GBP 3,500 after a worker lost two fingers in an accident at work.
Posted by Alison Spriggs

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