On 7 August 2009 a worker was mending a wire break in one of the four rotating blocks of a wire drawing machine belonging to Betafence Limited, of Shepcote Lane, Sheffield.
Each block had a moveable guard, fitted with an interlocking device to switch off power to the block should the guard be moved out of position.
As he tried to re-thread the block, the man needed to lean into the machine. His left arm was through the rotating block when the machine unexpectedly started to move.
He suffered a dislocated elbow, compound fractures to his lower arm, and had parts of his skin ripped off.
The worker, who asked not to be named, has since had three skin grafts and two metal plates fitted to his forearm. He no longer works for the company.
Sheffield Magistrates’ Court was told the interlock had failed to break the circuit and cut power to the block and, as the worker leaned into the machine to repair the wire, it was possible he inadvertently depressed the start or run switch.
The court heard that Betafence had a system for checking the guards on its machines, but that system did not include checking the functioning of interlock switches on moveable guards.
“This,” said HSE inspector Jill Thompson after the hearing, “is an example of how a simple failure of a safety switch can result in life-changing injuries.
“Had the company included safety switch checking as part of the guard checking system,” she added, “this incident would probably have been avoided.”
Magistrates were advised that Betafence, which operates in ten countries and employs 2,000 people worldwide, had previously been convicted in 2003 in a prosecution brought by HSE for a machinery safety incident in 2002.
The company, which traded as Bekaert Fencing Limited and Tinsley Wire Limited, had also been the subject of previous enforcement notices regarding the guarding of machines in 2003 and 2005, and had received several letters of advice about machinery guarding.
Betafence Limited, which has its headquarters in Belgium, was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £3,762 costs for breaching Regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.
