Work accident news
04/08/2010

Factory worker loses fingers in biscuit machine

A woman who lost two fingers in a work accident at a biscuit company last year could be able to make a personal injury compensation claim.

The worker lost her fingers after she tried to clear a blockage in the machine she was working on. She was under the misguided belief that the blades in the machine had stopped and so put her right hand in to free the machine.

However the blades were still running and when she tried to clear the blockage, two of her fingers were severed.

The biscuit manufacturer was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive for failing to prevent access to moving machinery parts by using safety guards. It was fined £10,000 and forced to pay legal fees of around £3000.

An HSE spokesperson said that work accidents like this could easily be prevented and should not happen in any company let alone one which operates on a large scale.

Following the HSE's findings, the woman could make a personal injury claim for her work accident.