A Manchester waste plastic recycling firm has been fined after an employee’s hand was severed after being dragged into a granulator machine.
CP Plastics Limited was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an incident at Manchester New Rd, Middleton, Manchester on the 4 March 2015.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard the employee, who has been deaf since birth, has been severely affected by the injury. The loss of his right hand in the incident means that he is unable to drive or work and is finding it difficult to use sign language to communicate.
The 50-year-old employee had been feeding a granulator machine with waste plastic. During the process the machine slowed down so he went to look through an inspection hatch to find the cause. He was reaching inside the machine in order to pull through the plastic that was slowing the machine, when the plastic wrapped around his right hand and dragged it into the granulator blades.
CP Plastics Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences, one breach of Regulation 11 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and one breach under Section 1 of the Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
In an unusual ruling the company was fined £1500, but the judge also ordered CP Plastics to pay £17,000 in compensation to the injured employee, and ordered to pay £1,500 towards prosecution costs.